Bill Rogers passed away peacefully at his home in Cary, NC on March 15, 2019. Bill was born June 13, 1935, in his parent's home in downtown Cary. With the exception of the years he attended Chowan College, East Carolina College and served in the US Army, Bill lived his entire life in Cary.
He is survived by his loving and faithful wife of over 62 years, Barbara Rogers, their sons: Mike Rogers (Janet) of Cary and Jim Rogers (Cindy Jones) of Holly Springs; two grandchildren: Kyle Rogers (Molly) of Cary and Kristi Haddock (Drew) of Apex; and great-grandson Everett Haddock. He is also survived by his two sisters: Patricia Polson (Gerald) of Raleigh and Doris Lindsay of Clayton. He is predeceased by his parents: W.L. "Lem" and Willie Mae Copeland Rogers.
Bill owned and operated Rogers Restaurant and Motel in Cary, NC with his wife Barbara from 1966 to 1991. Together they continued to run Rogers Apartments until 2018, providing transitional housing and personal ministry to countless people. He was a previous member of the local Board of Southern National Bank. Bill and Barbara also ran Southeastern Telecom from 1991 to 2005.
He is an alumnus of Cary High School where he was a three-letter athlete in football, basketball and baseball. Bill was inducted into the Cary High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2013, being called an unsung-hero and priceless-gem by his classmates and peers. He attended the Young Men's Sunday School at First United Methodist Church Cary, in the Log Cabin. Bill loved to travel with Barbara, especially to ECU football games and to their beach home in Emerald Isle, NC. Bill was one of the original members at MacGregor Downs Country Club and later at Lochmere Golf Club, where he enjoyed playing golf with Wayne Mitchell and other close friends for many years.
The family will receive friends from 12:00pm-1:45pm on Thursday, March 21, at First United Methodist Church Cary, 117 S. Academy Street, Cary, NC, with a celebration of his life beginning at 2:00pm. An interment service will follow at Hillcrest Cemetery, 608 Page Street, Cary, NC 27511.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Young Men's Sunday School Class at FUMC Cary, 117 S. Academy Street, Cary, NC 27511 or to Cary High School Athletics, ATTN: Mike Dunphy, Athletics Director, 638 Walnut Street, Cary, NC 27511.
