- Date Of Death: February 12, 2020
- State: Arizona
After a life that took him from the wilds of Labrador to the jungles of Vietnam, Lt. Col. David F. Rogers passed on to fly with the angels on Feb. 12, 2020. He was a few months short of his 92nd revolution around the sun when he maxed out his last overhaul on that engine.
Dave was born in Mesa, Ariz., the son of Grant and Elizabeth (Jerry) Rogers. He graduated from Mesa High School in 1946 and earned a football scholarship to Northern Arizona University, where he achieved the reputation of being a damn fast running back.
After his years at NAU, he joined the US Air Force in 1951 and made a career as a pilot. By the time he retired, Dave had more than 10,000 hours as Command Pilot, and his missions ranged from piloting a KC-135 to refuel B-52s midair over the North Pole to landing his C-130 on dirt strips in Vietnam.
Upon retirement, Dave made Flagstaff his home, where he worked as a safety representative for Arizona State Workers’ Compensation. He was involved in youth programs as well as the local Elks Lodge. To earn extra money in his younger years, he rode rodeo and was always up for a good time. He loved hunting, fishing, and the cowboy culture of Arizona, where his pioneer forefathers settled in the 1870s. Dave always said that the beautiful canyons and lakes of the state were his church.
Dave and his former wife, Patricia, have four children Patty, Holly, Mary and Matthew, 12 grandchildren, and 16 great-grandchildren. His loving and devoted companion for the past 20+ years, Edith Martin, did her best to keep him out of trouble and sometimes succeeded. A most adventurous life indeed.
