Earl Duward Rodgers

Earl Duward Rodgers passed away at Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at the age of 97. His wife of 73 years, Chiyoko Suzuki Rodgers, had passed away just three weeks earlier. Their joint funeral service will be held September 23, 2026, from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Hawaiian Memorial Park Chapel in Kane‘ohe, Hawai‘i. Chaplain Dennis Mendoza of Bristol Hospice and the International Church of O‘ahu will officiate. Their committal service will be held September 24, 2026, at 10 a.m. at Hawaiian Memorial Park’s Oceanview gazebo followed by the burial in the nearby Rodgers family plot. Chaplain Mendoza and Rev. Yoshitaka Fujinami of the Makiki Christian Church will officiate.

Earl was born in Oskaloosa, Iowa, on June 26, 1929. He was the sixth generation to live and farm in nearby Spring Creek Township, following the footsteps of his pioneer ancestors who settled the land in the 1840s (i.e., great-great-great grandparents Judge Thomas and Sarah (Wilkins) Comstock; great-great grandparents Daniel and Sarah (Comstock) Rodgers; great grandparents Abraham Harrie and Mary Josephine (Millice) Rodgers; grandparents Duward Millice and Maude (Glasscock) Rodgers; and parents Floyd Duward and Martha Charlotte (Henness) Rodgers). Until the 8th grade, Earl attended Glendale School (a one-room schoolhouse built on land Daniel Rodgers had donated to Mahaska County in 1853) and graduated from Oskaloosa High School in 1947. Besides farming, he hunted and trapped, sending pelts to Chicago for coat production. He was active in Future Farmers of America, 4-H and Central United Methodist Church. His highest honor as a youth was the recognition he received from his soil conservation presentation at Future Farmers of America, which was aired on AM radio. He studied for two years at Kletzing College, University Park, before enlisting in the U.S. Air Force in 1951 during the Korean War.

While stationed in Tokyo, Earl married Chiyoko Suzuki on August 14, 1953. They and the first three of their four children moved to the United States in 1957 and lived for a short while on the family farm before a farm accident led him back into the military service. They then lived in Texas, California, Michigan and Hawai‘i. The family remained stateside while Earl fulfilled assignments of 18 and 12 months in the Philippines and Thailand, respectively, during the Vietnam War. Earl retired from the U.S. Air Force as a master sergeant after a 26-year career.

His military accomplishments and honors include, among others, participation in the Discoverer program, the precursor to America’s manned space program; an Air Force Commendation Medal for Special Operations work in Thailand; and a Meritorious Service Medal for distinguished performance training noncommissioned officers in Hawai‘i. He was a disabled veteran due principally to his exposure to Agent Orange in the Philippines while servicing U.S. planes from Vietnam.

In retirement, he attended the University of Hawai‘i under the GI Bill and volunteered at numerous social service programs, such as Meals on Wheels and assisting the blind. Earl inherited his family’s belief that family comes first and tried to emulate his parents’ kindness. Besides travel, Earl enjoyed reunions, sharing stories and attending church as a family. He owned ancestral farmland in Iowa until his death and remained curious about wildlife and soil conservation. He was extremely proud of his wife, Chiyoko, for moving to America, learning English and building a life.

Earl is survived by his daughters Carol J. Harper (husband John Donlin) (CO) and Sylvia Mae Spalding (HI); son David Earl Rodgers (wife Kyla) (IA); grandchildren Troy David Fisher-Harper III (Japan), Daniel William Rodgers (wife Dianna) (HI), Bryce Winton Rodgers (IA), Brynja Michelle Thompson (husband Shea) (AZ), Sabrina Kaye Rodgers (GA) and Sarah Hokule’a Spalding (HI/LA); great grandchildren Wylder Winton Thompson (AZ), Oakes David Thompson (AZ), Hayes Shea Thompson (AZ) and Luna Usagi Galileo Rodgers (HI); nieces Vivian Vos (husband Greg Picchione) (IA), Valerie Spaur (husband Tracy) (VA), Jylene Bowman (husband Dan) (FL) and Judy Scapecchi (husband Bruce) (IA); nephew James Lierow Jr. (wife Debbie) (TX); and several grand and great-grand nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Chiyoko Suzuki Rodgers (HI); parents Floyd Duward and Martha (Henness) Rodgers (IA); son Daniel Duward Rodgers (HI); grandson Duward Rodgers (HI); sisters and their husbands Doris Helen and Gene Vos (IA) and Marlene and Jim Lierow (IA); and nephews Gregory Blaine Vos (IA), Jerry Lierow (OR) and Jeffrey Lierow (IA).

The family of Earl Duward Rodgers wishes to thank his private caretakers, Tripler Army Medical Center, the Veterans Administration, Bristol Hospice, BrightStar Care of Hawaii, Bayada Home Health Care and the Fire Department and Emergency Medical Service servicing Waikele for their years of caregiving and support.