He was known as “Cool Rog” to those who chuckled at his clever sayings and to younger protegés who admired his pool-shooting prowess.

Roger Cliffe, an NIU technology professor, died Aug. 31 of a heart attack. He is remembered by his younger brother Bob as more of a best friend than a sibling.

“He was like a teacher to me all my life, really,” Bob said of his brother, mentioning perseverance and a strong work ethic, as well as the game of pool, as lessons Roger imparted.

Bob reminisced about how he and Roger would walk into their Catholic school as kids, across the street from their home, as their mother watched to make sure they entered the school. After walking into the church under her watchful eye, the boys would go into the church’s side door and back out the other side, sneaking off to play pool. Robert was about 12, and Roger was about 15.

“It was pretty cheap fun, and we got good at it,” Bob said. “Then we could make money doing it too … a lot of gambling and stuff like that.”

The two brothers preferred not to play against each other in later years, Bob said.

“I just didn’t have that competitive spirit against him that I would for somebody else,” he said. “He was my friend.”

The times they did play pool against one another, Bob said Roger’s personality came through in his game.

“You could never really relax against him,” he said. “Even when I had a really good defensive situation against him, he was very imaginative and creative with his shots. There was always a danger that he could come back, and he did it to me several times.”

The extroverted older brother, Roger did enough talking for both brothers, Bob said.

“Roger really had the gift to gab,” he added, after a pause. “I’m telling you, he could sell anything and he had all these different sayings and little witticisms.”

Rob Gooley, a 23-year-old DeKalb resident, knew Roger for several years and learned from watching him play pool. He remembered Roger as a player with character, who didn’t have to stop his commentary in favor of concentration. He described the way Roger could make his shots with consistent accuracy while still spouting off some of the witty remarks he was known for.

“He had a lot of sayings,” Gooley said. “A lot of them were about pool, some were about women, some were about life and wisdom.”

Gooley recalled how Roger talked the pool balls into the pockets (“Run, rabbit, run!”), and how his expressions brought life to the game (“Whoa, white wonder!”).

Bob said Roger would be remembered not only for his sense of humor, but also for the integrity he brought to his work, his high standards and his honesty.

“He was respected – I guess in some ways he could be up there in the clouds, but he really kept his feet on the ground … a down-to-earth kind of person,” Bob said.

“He was a reinforcing kind of person,” he added. “It was always good to see him – a lot of people said that – because he always had a joke or something that would make people laugh. He could ease the tension in any kind of circumstance.”

Gooley said Roger’s encouraging attitude even came through against his opponents.

“When I’d lose to him, I’d be all ticked-off. He’d come up and say, ‘Hey kid, you shot a good game. Don’t worry about it. You’ll get me next time.’”

Beyond his skill in the pool hall, Roger was known for his woodworking skills, exemplified in videos, books and a column he wrote for “Woodshop News.”

“He was a master woodworker, there’s no question about that,” Bob said. “He could make anything. He started making pool cues, as a matter of fact, which is a real art. It takes a lot of patience – it’s a real long process.”

Bob, a psychologist, benefitted from Roger’s expertise with psychological tests he created, which use wooden pegs to determine memory skills. The tests are a small example of the bigger things Roger contributed to others’ lives.

“Without Roger’s assistance, I don’t think I’d be where I am,” Bob said. “He’s helped a lot of people. He was a generous person.”