Fred D. Rogers, 88, (formerly of Mocksville, NC and Bridgeport, WV) passed away at his home in Georgetown, TX, on July 8, 2021, following an extended illness.
Military honors and interment will be held in October at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery, in Killeen, TX.
Fred was born in 1932 at Princeton, WV, to Fred S. and Elva Rogers. Fred and younger sister Ann, lived in Athens, WV, where his Father worked as a history professor at Concord College. Fred spent much of his youth outdoors; he loved hunting and fishing. He graduated high school from Concord Training School in 1950.
Fred attended Concord College as well as the WVU School of Forestry before enlisting in the U. S. Navy in 1952, to aid in the Korean War. He trained at Portsmouth Naval Hospital, in Portsmouth, VA as a Hospital Corpsman. Fred graduated second in his class. He later served with the First Marine Division in Korea, where he provided medical aid under adverse conditions, and was the Hospital Corpsman in charge of the operating room.
He returned to civilian life in the fall of 1956, and moved back once again to Athens, WV to complete his undergraduate degree from Concord College. It was here Fred would meet and fall in love with the love of his life, Carol Goodman. Fred and Carol married in 1957. Fred graduated in 1958 with a B.S. Degree in Education, with specialties in Biology & Social Sciences.
Education was very important to Fred. He also earned a Master's Degree in Educational Administration & Counseling from The University of Cincinnati, a degree from the Cincinnati College of Embalming in Ohio, as well as undertaking Agent Training from Naval Investigative Services, in Washington, D.C.
Fred held several different jobs early in his marriage with Carol before landing in his chosen field. Those jobs included Jr. High School Science teacher, Funeral Embalmer and Ambulance Driver, High School Biology teacher, and last but not least, Special Agent with the Office of Naval Intelligence. He was a true Renaissance Man.
Fred worked for the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation for over 21 years while living in Bridgeport, West Virginia. Fred and Carol would raise their two children, David and Whitney there. Fred was active at Simpson Creek Baptist Church; he was on the Deacon Board for many years, as well as a Youth Group Leader. You could always find Fred outdoors; backpacking, deer hunting, or gardening behind their home on Brightridge Drive. Most importantly, you could find Fred helping out friends.
In 1988, Fred took early retirement from the State of WV. Warmer weather and new challenges began to call to him, taking Fred and family to Mocksville, NC where he continued to work for the NC Division of Vocational Rehabilitation for several years before retiring for good. Bridgeport, WV was their Camelot, it would always be home.
Fred continued to stay busy over the next 20 years, even though he was "retired". He and Carol were active members of the First Baptist Church of Mocksville. Fred served with the North Carolina Baptist Men's Disaster Relief Organization. He traveled across the south to help clean up after floods, tornados, and hurricanes. His mission work also took him to Alaska, Honduras, and Germany. During this same time period, Fred also worked as a historically costumed tour guide at Old Salem, a Moravian settlement in Winston-Salem, NC. It combined his love of history, with meeting and talking to people.
One thing that people who knew Fred later in his life will surely remember him for, is his annual Apple Butter making gatherings. Every October, Fred would invite friends from all over for the Gathering; the list would continually grow with all the new friends he made along the way. The Apple Butter Gathering is a daylong event - starting very early in the morning from getting the fire just right, to peeling and coring the apples, to stirring all day with a long wooden paddle until the color was just right, and then getting everyone into an assembly line to get all the Apple Butter into the canning jars. Moreover, it was a day full of fellowship: having lunch on a fall day, enjoying one another's company (even if you had just met) and leaving with some delicious Apple Butter. Fred made sure everyone felt welcome. Fred hosted over 20 Apple Butter Gatherings in West Virginia and North Carolina.
Fred and Carol missed their daughter Whitney, who had married a Texan, so they bought a home there. They would travel back and forth from Texas to Mocksville, NC to visit their son David and friends from there, and also to beat the Texas heat.
After several years of traveling from Texas to North Carolina, the mountains of West Virginia were calling Fred home, one last time. They sold their homes, and Fred and Carol moved back home to their Camelot - Bridgeport, WV. Fred bought a house on a different hill this time, and he and Carol lived for 5 wonderful years spending time with those same wonderful friends they had made all those years ago.
Two years ago, Fred realized that they finally were getting older, and should move back to Texas to be closer to their daughter. Fred's timing was perfect. He and Carol enjoyed a year together in their new home before he became ill.
Fred is survived by his devoted wife of 63 ½ years, Carol J. Rogers of Georgetown, TX, and his loving children: son, David K. Rogers, of Mocksville, NC; and daughter, Whitney L. Seaton, of Jarrell, TX, son-in-law, Dustin Seaton (and of course Finn, Fred's Grand-Dog). Also surviving, younger sister, Ann Rider of Charlotte, NC, several nieces, and cousins.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Fred's memory to the Jarrell Community Library,
113 Limestone Terrace, Jarrell, TX, 76537.