Roger Zittel was born in 1941 in Eden, N.Y. He attended Rutgers University and trained to be a pastor at a Lutheran Seminary. His first call took him far away to Folsom, Calif. His family had been farming vegetables for six generations in Eden. He and his wife Gail loved their new community, and they became great promoters of its virtues. He served as pastor for six years at Mount Olive Lutheran Church until he took a position as the first manager of the Folsom Chamber of Commerce in 1974. He worked to promote the businesses and city for 21 years, during which time Folsom grew from a tiny agricultural, prison, and mining town to a modern city. Working with the mayor, the Chamber helped bring Intel to the city in 1983. The Chamber also helped create the Folsom Redevelopment Agency which revitalized the Historic District.
The Zittel family is also well known in Folsom for Zittel Farms which Roger runs with Gail. Their annual pumpkin patch has been a feature of Folsom family life since around 1980. He and Gail raised their children on the historic farm property which they purchased in 1976. It was in disrepair at the time, and he beat out higher bids from developers by promising the former owners, the Harris family, that he would rehabilitate the farm and work it for as long as he could. Zittel Drive in Folsom is named after the farm. The adjacent streets are also named with farming and ranching themes.