Elaine B. Rogers

Elaine B. Rogers (nee Gehman,) 88, died June 9 at Angels Grace Hospice in Oconomowoc.

Elaine was born in 1934 in Cleveland to Howard and Grace (nee Cook) Gehman. After graduating from Vermilion (Ohio) High School, she worked in the insurance industry and in the cost planning office of U.S. Steel in Lorain, Ohio, where she met Carlyn (Cy) Rogers. The couple married in 1957 and lived in Pennsylvania and Illinois before moving their family to Wisconsin.

Following Cy’s death in 1972, Elaine and her children moved to Oconomowoc, where she became a licensed realtor and worked as an administrative assistant in the law offices of Brewer and Cahill, and Schober, Schober and Mitchell. She was a longtime board member and co-treasurer of the Oconomowoc Food Pantry, and a volunteer at the Lake Area Free Clinic.

A world traveler, Elaine also loved her Woodland Lane neighborhood and home, where she raised her family, welcomed her children’s friends, cared for grandchildren, hosted Christmas dinner, kept her birdfeeders full and planted seeds indoors each spring to get an early start on her gardening. She monitored current events closely and, over the years, became a passionate advocate for policies that improved people’s lives and protected the environment.

Elaine was two years old when her mother died, and a widowed mother of four at age 37. Despite these painful losses, she created a meaningful life, grounded in her fierce, generous devotion to her family. Though she was sad to be leaving cherished friends, Elaine’s final days were peaceful, and she wanted everyone to know that her final meal was a bowl of chocolate ice cream! Her resilience and strength are legacies to all who knew her.

Elaine is survived by her children Kathy (David Pritchard), Jeff (Sue), Jim (Julie) and Jon (Joanna) Rogers; grandchildren Christopher Pritchard, Monique (Brian) Brickham and Lindsey Rogers, Joe (fiancée Marissa Olson) and Jane Rogers, and Cameron, Kylie and Tyler Rogers; great-grandchildren Logan and Autumn Bunnow; sister-in-law Judith (the late Foster) Armstrong; nieces Karen Payne and Cara Armstrong (Edna King); other extended family members and many friends. In addition to her husband Cy Rogers, she was pre-deceased by her parents, stepmother Nora Briggs Gehman, sister Jacquelyn Weenink, nephew Robin Wesley and niece Jenifer Armstrong.

Special thanks to Angels Grace Hospice for its exceptional care.

A visitation will take place on Monday, June 26, 2023 at Pagenkopf Funeral Home (NEW LOCATION: 2228 N. Silver Maple Lane, Oconomowoc, WI 53066) from 10:00am until time of eulogies starting at 11:30am. The family invites everyone to join them after eulogies for a meal and continuation of sharing of memories and stories of Elaine in the banquet hall.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to the Oconomowoc Food Pantry, the Lake Area Free Clinic, or the environmental organization of your choice.

(Location of Pagenkopf Funeral Home: We are located just South of Aurora Summit Hospital, east on Delafield Road)