Stephen Quarles Rodgers

Dr. Stephen Q. Rodgers, 78, of Edinburg, Virginia, passed away suddenly on January 20, 2024, at Sentara RMH Medical Center. Stephen, born on March 3, 1945, in Nebraska City, Nebraska, grew up in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. After graduating from College High School in 1963, he attended the University of Tulsa until acceptance into the University of Oklahoma Medical School in 1966. Stephen received his medical degree in 1970 and completed his pediatrics residency at the University of Oklahoma Children’s Memorial Hospital and the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Norfolk, Virginia. With his charismatic smile and soothing personality, pediatrics was a perfect fit for him.

After completing his residency in 1974, Dr. Rodgers moved to Virginia’s Eastern Shore, where he established the first pediatric practice and provided essential care to the community for the next ten years. Dr. Rodgers later joined Pediatrics at the Beach in Virginia Beach where he continued providing compassionate pediatric care for the next 23 years. In 2006, he joined James Madison University (JMU) in Harrisonburg, Virginia, as the Medical Director of the University Health Center (UHC). With this move, Stephen and his wife, Mary, fulfilled a desire to live in the peaceful countryside on a small farm with their horses when they found their dream home in nearby Edinburg, Virginia. At JMU, Dr. Rodgers provided leadership, built partnerships, served as a liaison to the community hospital, contributed to committees, and received the All Together One award in 2011. He played a key role in establishing a state-of-the-art university health center in 2014. Officially retiring in 2016, he continued working part-time supporting UHC throughout his retirement. At home, Stephen pursued his other passions, using his unique skills to complete numerous woodworking and home improvement projects for his homes and those of his children. At his Edinburg farm, he built a barn and paddocks for their horses and a zipline for his grandchildren’s enjoyment. He and Mary, along with their family dogs, also enjoyed RV travel to visit family and friends. Stephen, a guidepost for his family, embodied wisdom, creativity, and innovation. His enduring impact is felt in the lives of his children, grandchildren, and many others. Devoted to his family, hobbies, learning, and profession, Stephen will be forever remembered for his kindness, generosity, compassion, gentle demeanor, and infectious smile.

Stephen is preceded in death by his parents, Rev. Richard Clark and Lillian Quarles Rodgers, and brother, Richard Rodgers. He is survived by his wife, Mary Robins Rodgers; five children, David Rodgers (Amy), Suzanne Slaw, John Rodgers (Molly), Asher Bishop, and Ryan Bender; five grandchildren, Berkeley Stevens, Preston Rodgers, Kimber Rodgers, Bennett Rodgers, and Ian Rodgers; two siblings, Greg Rodgers (Mikki) and Mary Louise Hall (Jim), and nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life will be held in Virginia Beach, Virginia on Thursday, February 22, 2024, from 1-3:00 PM at the Great Neck Park Indoor Pavilion, 2513 Shorehaven Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23454.