Captain Clifford JR Rogers (USNR RET) age 97, passed away peacefully at his home with his family by his side in Mobile on October, 6 2019. A memorial celebration will be scheduled for later this year on the occasion the internment of his ashes and those of his wife at Barrancas National Cemetery on the Naval Air Station Pensacola FL.
He was born February 11th, 1922, in Pittsburg, Illinois to Hughy and Blanche Rogers.
His father was an accountant turned coal miner. They subsequently moved to Carbondale, Illinois where Cliff was raised.
Cliff graduated from Carbondale High School in 1942. He enlisted in the Navy
and was selected for the Naval Aviation Cadet Program at the University of Iowa. He was commissioned as an Ensign in the US Navy in late 1942. He married his childhood sweetheart, Mary Maddex, before his squadron’s deployment on the USS Princeton in the Pacific Theater. He flew the TBM Avenger bomber and was highly decorated for his performance.
After the end of WWII, he and Mary settled in Mobile. The then Navy Reserve Lieutenant Rogers was a retail store manager until he was recalled to active duty for the Korean War, while his wife was a homemaker. Captain Rogers retired from 22 years of active service in 1968. During his career he served as an Instructor Pilot, flew the Douglas A-1 Skyraider in the Korean War, and was an Administrative Officer, a Training Officer, Executive Officer at Naval Air Station, New Orleans, and Commanding Officer of the Naval Reserve Center Miami, Florida. Captain Rogers was awarded 2 Distinguished Flying Crosses and 5 Air Medals.
He was an active member of the Navy League and a lifetime member of the Military
Officers Association of America. He was an avid golfer and belonged to Skyline Country
Club for many years. His interests included family, golf, travel, and being an audiophile with an extensive collection of recordings. He was instrumental in maintaining an independent quality of life for his mother until she passed away at age 84.
Captain Rogers is survived by 3 sons and 1 daughter and their families, Commander John Rogers, USNR Ret and his wife Jessica Deiparine Rogers of Biloxi MS, Charles Rogers of Los Alamos NM, Cynthia Rogers Gavin of Mobile, Bruce Rogers and his wife Renee Watts Rogers of Mobile; and 11 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Hughy and Blanche Culbreth Rogers, brothers Robert and Ted Rogers and a sister, Phyllis Rogers Flick.
