Pat Rogers

On May 21st Pat relocated to his heavenly home and is now face to face with Jesus, whom he loved and served faithfully.  He knew that by grace he was saved through faith alone when he gave his life to Jesus as Lord and Savior in 1956 and was baptized by Dr. Doug Hudgens at First Baptist Church, Jackson.  As a humble and obedient follower, he let Jesus work in and through him, showing forth God’s love in action in countless ways that others may know Jesus and experience His amazing love.

A native of Mize, Pat graduated from Mize High School in 1950.  From 1950 to 1954 he served in the United States Navy and is a Korean War veteran.  He met Abbie Ruth Rogers in 1956, and they were married April 7, 1957 and began a life focused on serving Jesus.  He graduated from Mississippi State University in 1960 with a B.A. in Agriculture Economics and spent the next 31 years serving as County Executive Director for the Agricultural and Stabilization Conservation Service with the USDA in Carroll, Hancock, Marshall, Wayne, and Kemper counties.  After retirement in 1986 he and Ruth participated in short-term mission trips to Rochester, N.Y., served under the North American Mission Board, SBC for one year in America Samoa, served as directors for Tampa Bay Baptist Conference Center for six months, and served under the International Mission Board (IMB), SBC for six months in Zimbabwe and two years in Honduras.  For the past 21 years he was an active volunteer for Macedonian Call Foundation of Mississippi, an organization that provides vehicles for IMB missionaries on stateside assignment.  Wherever he and Ruth lived, they participated actively in the life and ministry of their church.  Pat was ordained and served as a deacon for 25 years at Scooba Baptist Church. Even after entering home hospice service and experiencing pain and very low energy, Pat pushed himself to attend worship some at Flowood Baptist, where he was a faithful member for the past 10 years.

Pat loved and excelled in his hobby of woodcarving and was a past member of the Mississippi Craftsmen Guild.  For several years he was a member of the Mississippi Pearl River Wood Carvers Guild.  His favorite activity as a member of this group was carving eagle heads for walking canes to give as gifts to elderly veterans.

His family and friends knew him as a great story teller with a wonderful sense of humor.  He invested the gift of time in the lives of his nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews and their families, who all count it as a rich blessing to have known and experienced being loved by their Uncle Pat.  He lived a life of sacrificial love for his family and friends, his pastors and church families, his country, and most of all his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Pat is survived by his wife of 61 years, Ruth Rogers, his sister Bobbie Rogers Mulrooney, his nieces Jan Kelly (Travis), Cynthia Thomas, Debra Sullivan (Robbie), and Nita Boudreaux (Charlie), his nephews Delmar Richardson, Keith Richardson (Ruth), James Richardson (Phyllis), Tim Richardson (Sheri), Milton Richardson (Sue), and David Richardson, his godchild Suzanna Barham Griffith, and a host of great nieces and nephews and great-great nieces and nephews.  He is preceded in death by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Douglas Rogers, his sister Cecil Rogers Byrd, his niece Sue Byrd Dickens, and his nephew Jimmy Rogers.

Visitation is planned for Friday, May 25, 9-10:45am at Flowood Baptist Church with the funeral at 11am followed by a graveside service at Mississippi Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery in Newton.

Pallbearers are his nephews and great nephews, Kevin Byrd, James Byrd, Brad Kelly, David Richardson, Timothy Richards, Timothy Boudreaux, Aaron Boudreaux, and Ken Hisaw.  Honorary pallbearers are his nephews, Keith Richardson, Milton Richardson, Brad Dailey, and Robbie Sullivan.

Memorial donations may be made to the Macedonian Call Foundation of Mississippi (P.O. Box 156, Ridgeland, MS  39158-0156) or to Flowood Baptist Church building fund or missions fund of choice (1649 Old Fannin Rd., Flowood, MS  39232).