Mary Wanda Rogers

Mary was born to Finis and Bertha Churchill on September 26, 1939 in Brownwood, Texas. She was the second of four children. Her family were worshippers of Jehovah God and they instilled a love for Him in her, thus she was baptized on July 22, 1953 at the International Convention held in New York City at Yankee Stadium.  

Less than two years later, she married Ray on June 18, 1955. She had met him at her sister Barbara’s wedding, she serving as the maid of honor and he as the best man. Thus, Mary became a very young bride. At that time Ray made his living working in highway road construction. So, they started their marriage moving according to the location of the work. As a result, they lived in 23 different small towns all over Texas and were in many congregations.

In 1957 their family began to grow and after the birth of their third child, they decided to settle in Austin. By 1964 they had moved to the house where they raised their family. In 1966 their family grew to six.  In early 1978 they moved to Georgetown and in 1994 they moved to Nolanville, where they lived out the remainder of their lives.  Throughout their model marriage of almost 53 years, they were an outgoing couple known for entertaining others.  They also loved to travel, usually with a large group of their friends and family.  After Ray passed away in April of 2008, even though she coped with a broken heart, she went on to make new friends, both young and old.

The last few years she experienced the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, with both good days and bad.  However, just 36 hours before her death, she enjoyed a wonderful Zoom family dinner, with all 19 members of her family, four generations including her great-grandchildren.  It was a good day for all, she was herself, full of laughs and stories from our lives together.

Mary will be remembered as a very generous and hospitable person. Along with her husband Ray, they were very gracious in opening the doors to their home. Especially when it came to different ones in full-time service, hospitality was their pattern of life. 

We look forward to the day when she will open her eyes and be restored with all her memories, grace, personality, humor and most especially her beloved husband. She will be complete again in paradise earth. We are so thankful for Jehovah’s wonderful promises for the future. But until that time, there is no safer place for Mary to be than in Jehovah’s memory.

Family

Survived by:

Children

Sharon (and Sam) Hinderer

Randy (and Nancy) Rogers

Suzy (and Scott) Zmeskal

Tracy (and Pete) Kargakos

Grandchildren

Amy (and Jesús) Trujillo

Heather (and Carlos) Jimenez

Collin (and Joyce) Rogers

Courtney Hinderer

Katy Kargakos

Cole Kargakos

Great-Grandchildren

Aiden and Siena Trujillo

Brothers

Charles Churchill and Jackie Churchill and their families. 

Preceded in death by:

Her husband, Ray Rogers.

Her parents, Bertha and Finis Churchill, and her sister, Barbara Coursey.

Mary had many other relatives, friends, and spiritual family who will miss her dearly.

Sharon and Randy would like to thank Suzy and Tracy for their ability to be at Mom’s in a matter of minutes to help with whatever she was going through at that moment.

The family would like to acknowledge Katy and Cole for their love and care of their Granny, especially in the last years of her life.

The family would like to express their appreciation for the outpouring of love and support that they have received.  Even during this time of physical distancing, you have found appropriate ways to provide consolation and caring assistance.

“Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of tender mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our trials so that we may be able to comfort others in any sort of trial with the comfort that we receive from God.”       2 Corinthians 1:3, 4