Obituary

Jackie Ruth Rogers, 88, daughter, sister, wife, mother, friend, aunt, grandmother, and great-grandmother.  After suffering a series of health-related events, Jackie passed away on Saturday, May 3rd, 2025.  She will be dearly missed by her family as well as the many people whose lives she touched over the years.  All who knew her felt her genuine love for people.  She will forever be remembered for her kindness to her family, friends, and students.  Jackie was born on September 21, 1936, in Whiteriver, Arizona.  Her father’s family came from pioneer roots that settled St. Joseph City, Arizona, and her mother’s family was native to Oklahoma with Cherokee ancestry.  Jackie was raised in Holbrook, AZ.  She loved Holbrook and frequently stated she had the ideal parents, family, and community to grow up in.  Her father ran an automotive garage on Route 66, and her mother stayed home to raise five children.  Jackie loved her family and made many close friends while living in Holbrook.   She worked many different jobs during her elementary and high school years.  They ranged from waitressing to working in a pharmacy as a soda jerk.  After graduating from high school in 1954, she moved to Tempe, Arizona, to study education at Arizona State University (ASU).  With her education degree, Jackie found work immediately after graduation.  She worked as an elementary school teacher for Phoenix Union District Number One, mainly teaching second grade.  In 1970, she married Yale I. Rogers at the Mesa, Arizona Temple.  They were married for 54 years.

Jackie is remembered by her two children, Cindy (Michael Hobby) and Joseph Rogers (Maria Farina), who are forever grateful to have her as their mother.  She is survived by eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren who will always remember her. Ashley (Jon Leitch), Alyssa (Matthew Richardson), Angela (Jesse Sandoval), Camy, Camilla (Aaron Malone), Joseph, Lucia, Isaac Rogers, and her brother, Leonard (Carole) Richards.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Yale Rogers; her parents, Leroy Freeman Richards and Ruth Stewart Richards; her brothers Edward Leroy and Robert K.; her sister Dee Dawn; and her grandson Shawn Rogers.

Jackie was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  She willingly served in many church-related positions and helped wherever she was needed. Her immediate and extended family greatly benefited from her sound advice based on her years of experience as a teacher and loving mother.  We will love and miss her.  Jackie leaves behind a family who loved her and friends who will carry forward her legacy of love, compassion, and service to others. While we mourn her loss, we also celebrate the countless lives touched by her spirit.

A funeral service will be held on May 10, 2025, to honor Jackie’s life, with a reception luncheon to follow.