William Rogers
Posted 10:24 a.m. Monday, September 12, 2022
May 27, 1928-Sept. 8, 2022
William Warren Rogers, 94, of Niles, died Thursday, September 8, 2022 at Buchanan Meadows Senior Living in Buchanan, Michigan.
He was born on May 27, 1928 to the late Leo and Marie (Hunerjager) Rogers in Westville, Indiana. During her childhood, her family moved to Niles, Michigan. Bill graduated from Niles High School in 1946, where he played tennis and was manager of the 8th grade track team and basketball team. During the summers, Bill worked at the Niles Rail Yard as a switchman. Bill then attended Western Michigan University and earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. After graduating from college, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, served in the Korean War, and received an honorable discharge. Bill went to work for the New York Central Railroad in New York as a tax accountant. During this time, he also earned a Masters in Business Administration from New York University.
On June 26, 1954, Bill married elder Phyllis Hess at St Paul de Niles Lutheran Church and they resided in Hawthorne, New York. In 1960 their son Timothy was born. In 1962 Bill took a position as Special Assistant to the President of the Milwaukee Road Railroad in Chicago, Illinois and moved to Itasca, Illinois. In 1963, their daughter, Lynn arrived. In 1969, the family moved to Lutherville, Maryland. Bill worked in business until he took a job with the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1972. In 1975 the family moved to Silver Spring, Maryland, where Bill and Phyllis resided until just after his retired in 1993. In 1997, Bill and Phyllis moved back to the hometown of their youth, Niles. Bill was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Niles.
Bill continued to enjoy the railroad as a hobby, taking train trips and building model trains – his pride! After years of recreational volleyball, he became an official and rose through the ranks. He was called a national official and served as president of the Chesapeake Bay Region. These positions took him all over the country, and sometimes Phyllis was able to accompany him. Bill retired from officiating in 2000, but continued to be active as a volunteer for the College Football Hall of Fame. He also loved travel, music, sports, church and family. He would never hesitate to help anyone in need.
Bill was predeceased by his parents; her siblings, Lucille O’Gara, Dorothy Edyvene and her twin sister, Katherine “Kate” Saigh.
Bill is survived by his wife, Phyllis L. Rogers of Buchanan; son, Tim Rogers (Jan Pollitt) of Niles; daughter, Lynn Rogers (Tim Arnold) of Staunton, Virginia; step-grandchildren, Tawni Estep, Dawna Schmidt and Sami Lamar; as well as several nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, September 14, 2022 at First Presbyterian Church, 13 South 4th Street, Niles. Visits will take place one hour before the service. A private interment will follow at Silverbrook Cemetery.
Memorial contributions in his memory may be made to the First Presbyterian Church Foundation at 13 South Fourth Street, Niles, Michigan 49120.
Condolences, photos and keepsakes may be left for the family at www.BrownFuneralHomeNiles.com
Arrangements have been entrusted to Brown Funeral Home & Cremation Services, of Niles.
