Joseph Leon Rogers

Joseph Leon “Joe” Rogers passed away on September 1, 2026, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, at the age of 92.

Joe was born December 22, 1933, in the small community of Caldwell, Alabama, to Finis L. Rodgers and Sarah Ethel Montgomery Rodgers. He moved to Gadsden, Alabama, in 1949, where, during his sophomore year of high school, he met Martha Ann Bradley, the girl who would become the love of his life. Joe and Ann were constant companions for nearly 70 years, sharing 68 years of marriage before her death in 2021.

The day after graduating from high school, with the Korean conflict underway, Joe enlisted in the United States Army—only to arrive home and find his draft notice waiting for him. He reported the following day and began what would become more than five years of military service.
Joe trained with the newly reactivated 11th Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and later completed Airborne training at Fort Benning, Georgia. Somewhere between Fort Campbell and Fort Benning, he managed to make a very important stop: he married Ann.
Joe spent the next five and a half years as a paratrooper, jumping from just about every type of aircraft the military had in the 1950s. He also completed winter survival training in Colorado, an experience that left him with a lifelong dislike of cold weather.
The Army revealed something that would serve Joe throughout his life: he had a remarkable talent for organization, logistics and getting things done. He rose quickly to become a company supply sergeant and was eventually stationed in Augsburg, Germany, where Ann and their young son, David, joined him. Their second son, Larry, was born in 1957 while Joe was still stationed overseas.

After leaving the Army in 1958, Joe returned to Gadsden and began a long career with Goodyear Tire. Realizing that education would be important to advancing his career, he earned a degree in Business Administration from Jacksonville State University while working third shift and helping raise two young boys—although Joe was always quick to give Ann most of the credit for raising them.
His career eventually brought the family to Fayetteville, North Carolina, where Joe was part of the management team that helped start the Kelly Tire plant. He remained with Goodyear/Kelly Springfield until his “retirement” in 1995.
But retirement was never really Joe’s style. While working full time, he began teaching at Fayetteville Community College, where over the course of 41 years he taught accounting, bookkeeping, Civil Service exam preparation and forklift training. Even after moving to Myrtle Beach, Joe continued making the four-hour drive to Fayetteville to teach for another five years.
Joe also loved golf—and he was good at it. He continued shooting in the 80s well into his 90s. Golf brought him many good friends through the years, but his favorite golf partner was always his son Larry.
His faith was an important part of his life. Joe was a man of God who enjoyed his Sunday School class and weekly Bible study at Ocean View Baptist Church.
Joe also loved a party. He was a fixture at family dinner parties, Champagne Fridays, birthdays and holiday celebrations at David and Larry’s homes. He often arrived armed with his joke books and was always ready to entertain. He was well read, endlessly curious and blessed with an exceptional memory, particularly when it came to history and movies.
Above all, Joe was devoted to his family and to Ann. Near the end of his life, Joe told his family that he was tired and that it was time for him to go join his wife. He was certain she would be waiting for him. Their 68-year marriage was, as Joe knew well, a life richly blessed.
Joe is survived by his sons, David Rogers and his wife, Mary Jo, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Larry Rogers and his wife, Betty, of Bolivia, North Carolina; his granddaughter, Anna Rogers Davis and her husband, Josh; and his great-grandchildren, Micah and Kylie Davis.
He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Ann; his six sisters, Mary Ida, Nellie, Christine, Margaret Francis, Lillian and Martha; and his three brothers, Earnest, Preston and John. Joe lived a long life marked by service, hard work, faith, laughter, family and an enduring love story. He will be deeply missed and very fondly remembered.

A drop-in reception and celebration of Joe’s life will be held Friday, September 18, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the home of David and Mary Jo Rogers, 15 Chapin Circle, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina 29577. Come and share your memories.

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