Gertrude Rogers

GERTRUDE CLAIRE ROGERS

Anamosa

12/2/1919 - 3/20/2016

For nearly a century Gertrude C. Rogers inspired those around her with her cheery smile, love of family and friends and her passion for music.

She died in her sleep Sunday, March 20, 2016. She was 96.

"Mom was a great music teacher and role model for many of her young students over her 25-plus-year teaching career," said Gary Rogers, the oldest of her two sons, who was at her side on the last day of her life at Quail Creek Skilled Nursing facility in Springfield, Mo. "Mom was called to heaven in a peaceful sleep," he said.

Her youngest son, Keith Rogers, wrote in a Facebook post that "Mom loved us all and touched countless people with the music she played and taught us. We will miss her."

Later, he said, the "outpouring of response was overwhelming," especially from Danville, Ind., where she taught music to elementary and junior high school students during the 1960s and '70s, and gave piano lessons at her home on Sunset Drive.

Gertrude Claire Haig was born Dec. 2, 1919, in Caseyville, Ill. Growing up in the small community east of St. Louis, she was active in her church and school.

She graduated from Collinsville High School in 1937 and went on to major in music and earn a teaching degree from Illinois Wesleyan University. She was an accomplished oboe player and participated in women's swimming.

While at Illinois Wesleyan, she met the love of her life, Howard "Buck" Rogers, a football player and future Army second lieutenant, who later made a career as a federal air traffic controller.

They were married in Caseyville on June 1, 1944. After Howard trained troops at Fort Benning, Ga., and worked as an air traffic controller in Fairbanks, Alaska, they moved to Cincinnati, where he worked for the Civil Aeronautics Administration's air route center.

They moved to Lizton, Ind., with their young sons in the early 1950s, when the air route center was relocated to Indianapolis' Weir Cook Airport. Gertrude taught music at Lizton High School.

In 1960, two years after the Federal Aviation Agency was established, the family moved to Danville, Ind., where Gertrude taught music in the community school system and Howard eventually became a watch supervisor for the newly formed Federal Aviation Administration.

Gertrude was devoted to her homemaking role as well as her profession. She always had breakfast waiting for Howard after his mid-shifts, then dashed off to teach school, returning home in time to cook dinner for Howard and her student-athlete sons.

A member of the Indiana State Teachers Association, she continued her music career in the early 1970s after Howard accepted early retirement offered by the FAA after the formation of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization.

They moved to Anamosa, Iowa, in the mid 1970s to retire and be close to Gary and his wife, Elmora, and watch their grandchildren grow up.

After Howard died on Father's Day in 1992, Gertrude continued to live in their early 20th-century house overlooking the Wapsipinicon River in Anamosa. She played the piano for Sunday church services until she was 92.

She later lived at Silvercrest Assisted Living Center until November 2015 when Gary and her grandson, Scott Rogers, moved her to Springfield to be near them.

She is survived by son, Gary Rogers, his wife, Elmora, and their family of Fordland, Mo.; son, Keith Rogers, his wife, Marian Green, and their family of Las Vegas, Nev.; grandsons, Todd and Scott Rogers and Evan and Bryce Rogers; and five great-grandchildren.

A private family memorial service will be April 10 in Rogersville, Mo.

In lieu of flowers or charitable contributions, Gary and Keith have requested that anyone whose life has been touched by Gertrude over these past many years to please send them a brief note of email regarding that experience at either of the following two email addresses: gary@kingsg.com or rogerskeither1@aol.com.