Kenneth "Ken" Eugene Rogers

Kenneth Eugene Rogers “Ken” 84, passed away suddenly on February 28, 2025.

Ken was born on July 20, 1940, in Fort Worth, TX , the youngest of three sons of Olen Luther Rogers and Evelyn Houser Rogers. Olen worked traveling for the railroad and Ken’s parents were separated for an extended time, so Ken spent his early years in a Fort Worth orphanage with his brothers Sonny and Robert. They later transferred to the Presbyterian Children’s home in Itasca TX. Ken grew up, lived, and learned to work in the home’s laundry, barns, and fields. He attended Itasca High school with many good friends from both the Children’s Home and the town of Itasca. Ken played football on the Itasca high School team and graduated from Itasca High school in 1958. After graduation, he and one of his closest friends, Larry Van Ness, enlisted in the US Marine Corp and went through basic training together. After basic training, Ken was assigned to Marine Air Operations support in Hawaii, at the Kanohe Bay Marine base on Oahu. While in Hawaii, Ken took weightlifting training, and won 4th place in the Mr. Hawaii competition, but he soon became more interested in studying Japanese Karate and the martial arts.

After Hawaii, Ken transferred to the Marine base in Iwakuni, Japan where he served two tours and continued to learn and practice martial arts. He and one of his closest Marine buddies, Don McNatt, teamed up to start a local club and Dojo on the base and they were able to convince Mr. Hitoshi Akiyama, a very senior Instructor in the Japan Karate Association (JKA), to help train these young, dedicated Marines.

Ken and Don both trained diligently under Akiyama, became very accomplished Black Belt instructors, and went on to instruct and train many other Shotokan Karate and martial arts practitioners throughout their lifetimes. Ken often credited his martial arts training for his ability to sense and control energy fields within the body. Ken was also fascinated by the various Eastern philosophies and religions. He was an avid reader and studied much about Buddhism, Shintoism, Tibetan Taoism, and many of the other Eastern philosophical views of mankind and the nature of the human spirit.

In 1965, Ken was transferred from Japan to the Military recruiting station in El Paso, Texas. He again established a local Shotokan Karate club and dojo, training many Japanese Self Defense Force members, American service members from Ft Bliss Army base and Biggs Air Force Base, and local students from the surrounding area, including the UT El Paso campus.

It was at an introductory Karate meeting on the UTEP Campus that Ken met Anne Walsh who became one of his Karate students and his lifelong friend and companion. In 1966, when Ken and Anne got engaged, Ken switched from the Marine Corp and joined the US Air Force in Air operations. Ken and Anne were married on March 23, 1967, in El Paso, TX, in a small civil ceremony. However, within a few months, Ken received orders to leave for an unaccompanied, Southeast Asia tour in Udorn, Thailand.

At Udorn, Ken managed the flight records for many USAF pilots who flew dangerous combat missions over Laos and Vietnam. He also participated in a number of emergency recovery missions to rescue pilots and retrieve “black box” flight recorders from downed aircraft inside Laos. (He often joked that they never received combat pay for those recovery flights because “The US was not officially flying missions in Laos, so those weren’t official bullets hitting our planes and choppers” .)

While in Thailand, Ken also established another great Karate club, trained many enthusiastic and dedicated students, and kept close ties with the Shotokan JKA instructors in Japan.

That was a long first year apart, but by May 1968, Ken transferred from Udorn Thailand back to Japan, this time to Misawa AFB, in Northern Honshu, Japan. Anne had just graduated from UTEP in May, so she flew straight to Japan to join Ken. They officially spent three “accompanied” years in Misawa, Japan (although, every other month, Ken’s squadron deployed to Taegu, Korea and stood on alert for a month) so, they actually spent only 18 months together. While in Misawa, Ken and Anne both continued to practice and teach Shotokan Karate with many American and Japanese friends. They often took weekend road trips to see as much as they could of Northern Japan and the beautiful mountains, lakes, towns, villages, streams, and beaches. (With his three tours in Japan, Ken had studied and could speak fluent Japanese, and it was always fun to see the Japanese villagers so surprised and happy when that tall, red-haired American spoke and joked with them so cordially in their own language.) They made many friends in their travels across the Japanese countryside and through those farming and fishing villages.

During that tour, Anne and Ken decided to renew their marriage vows in a formal Catholic church wedding because they knew that meant a lot to Anne’s parents.

They enjoyed planning their wedding ceremony and Japanese wedding party celebration. Ken’s supervisor and close friend, Capt James M. (Mike) May, offered to be Ken’s Best Man, his wife Cheryl helped Anne with planning all the details, and everyone enjoyed a great time. (We finally got a few good Photos of Ken in a suit too!)

While in Misawa, Ken and Anne also acquired their first Akita puppies and developed a great love for these wonderful, intelligent companions, raising several Akita litters over the years and sharing those special puppies with many lifelong friends in Japan and in the US.

By June, 1971, Ken had received orders to transfer to Mt Home AFB, Idaho, so Ken, Anne and their two Akitas, Tako and Riko, set off for a quick trip back through El Paso to see family and many good friends, and then drove the long road trip up to Mt Home, Idaho.

Idaho was a wonderful place for a young couple who loved the outdoors and lived on a “shoestring budget.” Ken worked lots of long hours in Air Operations, but he was an outdoorsman at heart. He and Anne spent much of their free time driving the backroads of Idaho, fishing in cold mountain streams, hiking in Idaho’s wilderness areas, hunting, and camping throughout the seasons. Ken was an expert marksman in the Marine Corps, and his remarkable skill made him an excellent bird hunter. That helped to keep pheasant, duck, sage grouse, and even a goose on their dinner table. Ken often went bird hunting with his “boss,” the Director of Operations, who joked that Ken could bring down birds flying “high enough to be on oxygen.” Between hunting trips, and with Idaho’s wonderful fishing spots, Ken and Anne also enjoyed catching fresh trout, whitefish, croppie and bass. Ken even bartered some of his fresh fish and birds to fellow hunters in exchange for their venison roasts and moose meat too. Ken and Anne picked fresh corn and asparagus from the Idaho fields, collected “leftover” Idaho potatoes once the machines had finished their harvest runs, and with Ken’s great “green thumb,” enjoyed fresh tomatoes, peppers, radishes, and green bean harvests from their backyard garden. It was a nourishing, natural diet and they learned that living simply, off the land, could be an amazing and healthy way of life.

In 1972, Anne joined the USAir Force & Ken began his serious Financial Analysis and Health studies. And, while in Idaho, they applied for, persisted, and were overjoyed to be able to adopt their wonderful son, Kevin in 1975.

Soon after, they were transferred to Anchorage Alaska and spent 5 years together there where they enjoyed the Northern lights, lots of snow, salmon fishing, Moose in their back yard, Matanuska Valley vegetable gardening, and the amazing beauty of Alaska.

While in Alaska, Ken finished his Associate degree and took prerequisite courses so he could enter the Texas Chiropractic college.

When Ken retired from the Air Force in 1980, the family moved to Houston and Ken went to

apply to the Texas Chiropractic College, however, he learned that the College had just changed

the entry prerequisites and it would now take at least another year of prerequisite coursework

before he be accepted, so Ken began working as a financial adviser instead.

During that next year, Ken met Dr Robert Warhola, DO, and they became great friends and close colleagues. Ken and Bob did a lot of study and joint research into nutrition and natural health alternatives and, Ken realized that this was his true field of interest. From then on, he focused on all things health, energy, healing, and nutrition related.

Ken was truly gifted in his focus and ability to bring research studies and practical application together. In 2002 he completed his formal degrees: Doctor of Naturopathy (ND), Certified Clinical Nutrition Counselor and Master Herbalist, and opened his own office, but he always continued his research and studies. He was very pragmatic and careful to make sure that healing protocols and methods were tailored for each individual. Over the next 40 years, Ken developed an impressive network, sharing information and helping his clients find their best health alternatives.

He followed, regularly consulted, and exchanged ideas with many of the alternative health pioneers of our time, such as Dr William Kelley, Dr Nicholas Gonzales, Dr Peter Attia, Dick Versendahl, Dr Frank Shallenberger, Dr Peskin, and many more.

Over all those years, Ken’s clients included hundreds of people from all walks of life, and he treated every person as a precious individual in search of healing. He was patient and kind, understanding that each person would need to make their own decisions and choose what they were willing and able to do in their personal journey toward health and healing. He was a true blessing for us all.

Ken is survived by his wife Anne Walsh Rogers, son Kevin Michael Rogers, Granddaughter Jennifer Lynn Rogers, his nieces and nephews on the Rogers family side: Lisa Spurling, Jeannie Rogers, Melissa Pelton, Kenny Rogers, Kenny Ray Rogers, and their families; and his nephews on the Walsh side: Ronnie Hill, Robert Hill, Phillip Walsh and Robert J. Walsh.