Rogers, William A.

Rogers, William A., baptized into the hope of Christ’s resurrection on March 3, 2022.

Beloved husband of Mary Ann Rogers (nee Jacobs) for 64 years; loving father of Nancy (Christopher) Caciano, Amy (Steven) Slapshak and James Rogers; cherished grandfather of Chelsea, Courtney, Sam, Maggie, Kate and Will; dear brother of Karen Vehlewald. He was preceded in death by his loving parents, Arthur and Ruth Rogers.

Bill and his sister Karen had an idyllic childhood, raised by two parents who adored them and actively participated in their lives. He grew up in in the same house in Bella Villa, a neighborhood in South St. Louis County, surrounded by many neighborhood children and would tell many childhood stories of all the fun that was had on Ruprecht Ave and at his parent’s club house on the river. He was blessed with a Catholic Education, attending St. George grade school, and Christian Brothers High School (CBC) class of 1955. He was a proud Cadet his whole life, wearing CBC clothing to the end. He attended Rubicon Business School where he met the love of his life, Mary. They were engaged at Thanksgiving and married the following fall, September 21, 1957 at St. Bernadette Catholic Church in Jefferson Barracks. Bill was in the army reserves from October of 1958 to Oct of 1964.

Bill and Mary raised their family in the only home they ever owned on Ricewood Drive, in South St. Louis County. Bill’s favorite job was being a husband, dad and grandfather. He attended/coached countless baseball, soccer and basketball games. He loved taking his kids to the club house on the Meramec River, swimming in the backyard pool, or taking his family on countless adventures to different rivers and beaches he would find in Mo. His family has cherished memories of vacations on Dauphin Island, Al, and later up and down the gulf coast. Bill and Mary were able to travel & enjoy many places across the United States together and spent years going to Cancun Mexico, where they made countless friends and eventually let their grown children tag along and put up with their kids shenanigans. Bill never shined brighter than when he became a grandfather though, and all the grandkids knew it. He spent countless hours with them and they will all cherish their memories, especially his jokes and when he would put on his clown red nose or funny wigs.

Bill was president of William Rogers & Associates, an independent consultant to credit unions, specializing in support, disaster recover planning, seminars, etc. He was publisher of Credit Union Tech Talk and Biometric Digest, two newsletters that went out nationally and internationally. He was past Division Vice President, Regional Manager, Marketing Manager of Electron Data Systems, and prior to that Vice President Support Services at Missouri Credit Union System. In a nutshell, he embraced new technology, loved computers, the World Wide Web and the fact that he could talk to people across the world. We were never quite sure he retired, as he seemed to always be on his computer.

Later in life Bill’s passion was baseball, and he became a member of the St. Louis Browns Historical Society and fan club in 2008. He led this organization for a decade, publishing their newsletter, promoting their annual gathering, collecting memorabilia around the country. He lived to see a dream realized when a book he co-wrote with Bill Borst and Ed Wheatley- St. Louis Browns- The Story of A Beloved Team- was published in 2017. A PBS documentary then followed on his beloved team and he took much pride in this. He loved wearing all his Browns clothing and talking STL Browns facts to anyone who would listen. Bill will be known as the best husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and cousin to his family. He was beloved by all those who knew him for his smile, sense of humor and hard work. He loved his wife Mary to the end. He was a wonderful photographer and although his family often teased him for carrying a camera or video camera around and in their faces, they are grateful for the amount of pictures and videos he leaves behind.

Service: Memorial visitation at St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Catholic Church, 4900 Ringer Road, on Saturday, March 19, from 10:00 am until time of memorial mass at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, Memorials to CBC High School or St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Parish appreciated. A Kutis South County Chapel Service.