Charles "Harry" Rodgers

Dad took his last breath early Sunday morning, October 25th at the age of 96 ½ years old. He was born in Logansport, Indiana on April 30, 1919 as the first son to Claude and Esther Rodgers. Preceded in death by his brother, Carl, but survived by his wife, Elizabeth, brother Earl, and sister Helen.

With his wife of 58 years, Harry fathered 3 children, Brian (Kerry), Kevin (Lupe), and Brenda (Omar). He was also very proud of his eight grandsons.

His early years were spent in Terre Haute, Indiana where he was both a Boy Scout and YMCA member. Dad was well-known for his travels on foot and bicycle; often spending his summers at his grandfather’s farm. In his spare time, he played the violin with accompaniment from his mother and sister on the piano. His first employments were with the Terre Haute Battery Company and National Brass Works in Los Angeles, California. In 1939, he spent a year training with American Tech in Chicago learning mechanical and electrical skills.

Harry enlisted in the US Army in June of 1941 where he initially served with a then new RADAR anti-aircraft unit near Seattle, Washington. In 1944, Sargent C.H. Rodgers was assigned to Patton’s 3rd Army; after marching across northern Europe, he fought in the Battle of the Bulge and later helped liberate the Buchenwald concentration camp. After VE Day, he was appointed to be mayor of a small town in Germany for a short period. Among other decorations, he was awarded a Bronze Star. Although immensely proud of his military service, he seldom spoke of it, yet the experiences stayed with him for the remainder of his life.

After World War II, Harry settled in Houston, Texas where he was employed as a bank teller. Following his high-profile capture of a bank robber, he was offered a job as a traveling auditor for Trans Texas Airways, which would later be named Texas International, and then Continental Airlines. After the auditor position, Harry was put in charge of managing the Flight Attendant (or “hostess”) department. His next position was that of Tariff Manager. He left Texas International airline in 1975 to take a position with the Texas Aeronautics Commission in Austin, Texas where he was in charge of intra-state airline regulation. He briefly held the position of interim Director of the TAC prior to his retirement from state service in 1984.

It was during his traveling auditor days at TTA that Harry was introduced to Elizabeth McDonald by a co-worker. After many years of dating, Harry and Elizabeth were married in 1957 and resided in Houston, Texas. In 1963, Harry and Elizabeth’s first son, Brian, was born. A second son followed in 1965 and a daughter in 1970.

Dad enjoyed water skiing and camping immensely. During the children’s formative years, most every Saturday during Spring, Summer, and Fall were likely spent skiing up and down the San Jacinto river or camping at various Texas lakes. Harry taught dozens of people how to water ski and was still skiing well into his 80’s! Following his retirement from the TAC, Harry added an Airstream trailer to his hobby list. He and Elizabeth spent many years towing the trailer all over the United States and Canada. Dad’s leadership talent was also applied to a stint as the local WBCCI club president. Although he put the violin away, he also enjoyed playing the organ and singing. Whenever away from home on a Saturday, he could always be counted on to return just in time for the Lawrence Welk show.

No accounting of Dad’s life would be complete without mentioning his penchant for working on all things mechanical, especially his automobiles and boats. He was rarely without a project and was sometimes accused of breaking something just so he could fix it. The family retains many, many fond memories of assisting Dad working on cars in the driveway.

With such a long and varied history, it is not surprising that Harry had many friends from equally varied backgrounds. Many of those friends were life-long and he treasured his relationship with each one.

Funeral services will be held at 1:00 pm Thursday, October 29, 2015 at Cook-Walden/Capital Parks Funeral Home in Pflugerville. He will be laid to rest with military honors on Friday, October 30, 2015 at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Patriot Guard.

Please visit Harry’s memorial at www.cookwaldencapitalparks.com.