Obit of Rogers, Noble - Pittsburg County, Oklahoma Submitted by: Gene Phillips 31 Dec 2006 Return to Pittsburg County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/pittsburg/pittsburg.htm ===================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ===================================================================== ::NOT LISTED Santa Rosa Press Democrat Published on August 24, 2002 Noble Rogers was a man whose humanity and virtue exceeded the stateliness of his name. He always had a kind word and a patient ear for anyone in need. He loved to sing, flexing his rich baritone voice. And he was a firm believer in the adage, "The only good pun is a bad pun." He died of heart failure Wednesday at age 87. Rogers was a proud "Okie" from Quinton, Okla., who ventured west with his family in the early 1900s. When the farming prospects ran out in the Panhandle, the family loaded "absolutely everything" they had into a pickup and headed for Oregon, Rogers' son, Douglas, said. Rogers had recounted the tale to them many times during their lives and the details were ever-evolving. "Even though my father was a good man and a man of God, when he told one of his stories you didn't know where the truth ended and his fiction began," Douglas said with a laugh. His sister, Kathleen Douglas, chuckled, "Yeah, he was a great storyteller." Rogers and his family landed in Sonoma County after a brief stint in Oregon in the 1920s and he became a devoted member of the Forestville Church of Christ, which is said to be the oldest Church of Christ congregation in the western United States. He was awarded a plaque to commemorate his faith and allegiance in 1994. He and two other elders were credited with keeping the 129- year-old church alive in rocky times. Rogers, a lifelong educator who jumped into semiretirement at the age of 65, was a minister at the church for 32 years, until a few months ago. He received a master's degree in religion from Pepperdine University and later a master's in education from San Francisco State. A graduate of Pacific Christian Academy in Graton, he returned to become a teacher and principal, as well as teaching in Petaluma. They called him "Pops" on the basketball court, but even in his 50s his opponents didn't underestimate him. "He was a gentle man," his son said, "but fierce on the court." He is survived by his wife, Evelyn Rogers of Graton; a daughter, Kathleen Douglas of Sebastopol; son Douglas Rogers of Salinas; his "big sister," Hazel Davis of Graton; and two other sisters, Edna Seltzer of Turner, Ore., and Helen Striepeke of Davis. A memorial service will be at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Church of Christ in Graton. Memorial contributions may be made to Pacific Christian Academy, P.O. Box 369, Graton 95444. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to Pittsburg County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/pittsburg/pittsburg.htm