Man killed in storm had founded Catholic school

One of the 15 people killed in a mudslide caused by a flash flood in Southern California was the founder a Catholic school who dedicated his life to helping others.

Michael Van Hecke, the headmaster of the St. Augustine Academy in Ventura, tells The Associated Press that the school’s founder, Roy Rohter, was killed in Monday’s storm.

He says Rohter’s wife, Theresa, was injured and remained hospitalized Monday afternoon.

Van Hecke says he was told of the death by the Rohters’ daughter.

He says Roy Rohter was raised in Chicago and was a real estate broker for several years before he founded the Catholic academy in Ventura, California.

Van Hecke says Rohter, who is survived by three children and several grandchildren, believed strongly in Catholic education.