I first met Roy at a meeting at a regional convention in Irvine, CA in 2006. As the meeting was about to begin, I heard someone whisper, “Hey, there’s Roy K.!” The room was crammed with maybe 50 people, and I spent the rest of the meeting trying to guess which one he was. When a friend introduced me afterward, I was surprised that he was not one of the men I had picked out. Instead, he was a humble gentleman who had made no attempt to impress the group or take charge, but who had simply led with his weakness. Since then, both in personal interactions with Roy and observing him at meetings, I was always impressed by his honesty and humility.

In the fall of 2008, shortly before Roy’s surgery, he called to make an amends for a misunderstanding he remembered from one of our conversations. I did not feel he owed me an amends, but I was happy to be able to speak with him once more, and was again touched by his humility.

In 2001, when my husband and I first came to SA, we were on the brink of divorce, and I was spiraling down into a very deep pit. I had been struggling for most of my life with a compulsive “habit” that seemed too shameful to speak of to anyone. Then my husband started attending SA meetings, and I started reading his White Book. In it, I was amazed to find the perfect description of my obsession, as well as clear directions for attaining the solution: sexual sobriety through the Twelve Steps of SA. I read through the book several times before I summoned the courage to attend my first SA meeting.

Since I walked through the doors of SA, my life has changed in ways far beyond what I ever could have imagined. My husband and I, working the SA program together, have seen our marriage transformed by the grace of God. This past June, after eight years of recovery, we celebrated 21 years of marriage. Because of one man’s persistent efforts to bring this fellowship into being, I have the ability today to be a faithful partner in a marriage—and to handle all areas of my life more successfully.

I’m grateful to have been able to get to know Roy, if only for a short time. But even if I had never met him, I will be forever grateful to him for developing the program of recovery that saved my life. God bless you, Roy, for all you have done for me, for our family, and for our fellowship.