Biography: Rosemary Elizabeth Rogers, 75, passed away on March 28 from complications due to pancreatic cancer. She was surrounded by her family and friends.

Born in Lynwood, CA, to Emma and Myron Rogers, Rosemary was raised in Chester, WV, and graduated from Oak Glen High School in New Cumberland. She graduated from Notre Dame College in Cleveland, OH, and moved to North Little Rock  in 1974. In 1998, she earned her master’s in education from Northwest Missouri State University.

Rosemary is remembered as a loyal friend, sibling, aunt, mother, grandmother, and matriarch to all who met her. Those who knew her are grateful for her kindness, generosity, passion, commitment, hard work, and forgiving nature. We stand in reverence of her brilliance and her devotion to education, both of herself and others.

Rosemary’s talent for educating was a gift and one she was careful not to waste. She invested her time, energy, and talent in others every day. This began in her early teaching years in Cleveland. She shared her expertise with the young people at the Lake Contrary School in St. Joseph, MO, as Mrs. Marston. However, the people of Arkansas may be the biggest beneficiaries of her proficiency and devotion. Rosemary taught the children of North Little Rock Montessori and The Anthony School where she was known as Mrs. Haluszka. She finished her teaching career at Brady Elementary in Little Rock and retired in 2015.

Rosemary continually worked on her own knowledge as a dedicated student at Life Quest where one of her favorite classes was Great Books. She was a life-long learner before anyone used the term. She freely gave her time to those who needed it, volunteering at pledge drives for AETN because she understood the value of access to quality information and cultural offerings. If a family member or friend needed help, she was there.

She was a beloved member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Little Rock where she served in many capacities including as a member of the vestry for three years, as an usher, an EFM member, and in the Food Pantry. Rosemary knitted prayer shawls for members of the congregation. She served on various committees but most dear to her heart was the Creation Care group, which focused on environmental concerns.

Relishing a challenge and never wasting an opportunity for improvement are attributes Rose did not confine to the classroom. In her 42^nd year, Rosemary committed to discovering a new way to test herself, to see the world, and to experience life. Enter, Rosemary the runner!  With her sister at her side, she embarked on a new adventure and soon found she couldn’t run an entire block without catching her breath. She persisted. Her will, discipline, and love of camaraderie lead her down this new path that would give her a lifelong hobby, lifelong friendships, and a life of adventure. Her first marathon was a cold and rainy St. Jude’s in Memphis and in 2009 she ran the Disney Marathon with her daughter, Lisa. Countless marathons dot her calendar and include everything from Boston to Pikes Peak!  No distance was off limits, from 5K to 50 miles with her final 50K completed in 2018 at the youthful age of 70. She and her crew of BAGs (Bad @$$ Geezers) would run nearly every day, for bagels usually, but always for fun. Of course, she couldn’t even make running about her. Rose staffed aid stations, planned events, and recruited others to share in her joy for travel by foot. She was recognized for three decades of service by the Arkansas Traveler 100-mile race for captaining an aid station where she served up pancakes and bacon as foundational fuel at miles 5.8 and 13.

Rose needed to see, feel, and experience the world. She did just that. She made the world her home, traveling to national parks, Bryce Canyon, the Smokey Mountains, Lake Tahoe, and the Grand Canyon. She visited England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. She never passed up the chance for a road trip or an adventure with her siblings. She loved to visit the beach with her family all along the Gulf of Mexico, especially St. George Island in Florida. Still, she had the most fun with her grandchildren.
It didn’t matter if it was a school production or a board game, Rose loved to spend time with her grandchildren. She traveled with them, played with them, read to and with them, ran with them, searched for shells, and built sand castles with them. She and her grandson attended an immersive Harry Potter experience at Universal Studios and Rose even became quite proficient at FaceTime so she could share in her granddaughter’s arts and crafts from all the way across the state.

As much as she traveled, Rose opened her own home to others, especially her family. Rosemary’s house was the epicenter for all family get-togethers. She was the consummate host, setting the scene to enjoy favorite family foods like “Green Stuff” and make memories across multiple generations and households.

Rosemary held a creative curiosity as well. She was a skilled artist, with her love of family and nature blended into her crafts, often as either the focus or recipient of her work. She was known to knit, as many Grandmas are, blankets for new additions to the family. She made matching sweaters for pets, both real and stuffed, and if she caught wind of someone in need of a scarf or blanket, she put her hands to work. She learned to make stained glass and took to drawing and painting. She loved all types of word puzzles, developing a healthy habit for crosswords. She was a whiz at trivia and Jeopardy and was never without a book or two in progress. If there was a project in need of doing, she learned how to do it. Always self-sufficient, Rose was her own “handy-woman.”  From the garden to the plumbing, she took care of it all.

Rosemary Rogers was a self-made woman who managed to always find time to help build a better world and raise up others. She was never bitter, always forgiving. She doled out grace and gave people room to grow. She was tolerant of all things aside from intolerance.

Rose was the eldest of six children; Charles Rogers (Mary Jane,) Martha Rogers (Reggie,) Polly Rogers, Fred Rogers (Lora,) and Claire Dougan (David.)  She was Aunt Rosie to Jim, Amy, Kate, Chloe, Seth, Josh, Tara, Sadie Joe, Annalee, Anna, Joey, Abby, Benjamin, Spencer, Rebecca, Jack, Eisley, Andrew, Marcia and Stephen. She will always be Grandma to Cecilia and William, Mom to Lisa, and Rose to her son-in-law Graham.

Rose leaves behind a world better than the one she inherited but not yet good enough. She would implore us to keep improving, to take care of ourselves and of others, to invest in kindness, and to keep working toward abundant opportunity for all.

Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, April 14, 2023 with a Reception to follow at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church in Little Rock. Arrangements are under the direction of RuebelFuneralHome.com