William Harvey Rogers
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William Harvey Rogers was born on Dec. 7, 1935 in Stuttgart, Arkansas to George Harve and Zora Isabelle Rogers, and he died on June 4, 2022 in Abilene.
Visitation with the family will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 12, 2022 at The Hamil Family Funeral Home, 6449 Buffalo Gap Rd. Funeral services will be held at 9:30 a.m. at First Baptist Church on Monday, June 13, 2022, followed by burial at 11 a.m. at the Texas State Veterans Cemetery at Abilene.
He attended Ouachita Baptist University at Arkadelphia, Arkansas and earned a Baccalaureate Degree in Business Administration and Economics in 1956. Upon graduation, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Field Artillery and attended the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course in September 1956. In May 1966 he was assigned to the 9th Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas and deployed to Vietnam in December with that unit. In Vietnam, he served as Intelligence Officer with the 9th Infantry Division Artillery and as Battalion Operations Officer with the 1st Battalion, 84th Artillery.
After his tour in Vietnam, he was selected for attendance at the Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Upon graduation, he was assigned to the Office of the Chief of Reserve Components, Department of the Army, in the Pentagon where he served for three years.
In February 1977 Lt. Col. Rogers was reassigned to Fort Sill, and served as Deputy Director of the Communications and Electronics Department and Executive Officer of the Directorate of Combat Developments. It was at Fort Sill in 1978 that he was promoted to Colonel and assigned as the Commander of the Field Artillery School Brigade.
Colonel Rogers returned to Korea in 1981 where he served as Commander, Combat Support Coordination Team #1, in support of the 1st ROK Army. He was the primary advisor to the Commanding General, 1st ROK Army and as the nuclear weapons employment specialist in the eastern half of the Korean Peninsula. His 26-year career was culminated with a tour as Director of Plans and Training, Fort Sill. Colonel Rogers retired at Fort Sill, on Oct. 31, 1982.
After retirement, Col. Rogers accepted a position on the instructional staff of the University of Oklahoma where he taught various leadership and communication skills to federal executives. In 1986, he became a sub-contractor with Chick-fil-A Inc, opening a store in Sherman, Texas. In November 1990 he and his family moved to Abilene where he became the owner/operator of the Chick-fil-A in the Mall of Abilene. Colonel Rogers retired from the restaurant business on Dec. 31, 2003.
He was married to the former Patsy C. Horton of Lawton. The Rogers celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary in 2021.
They have two sons: William Mark, of Abilene and Gregory Grant and daughter-in-law Tonya Nicole, of Fort Worth Texas; four grandsons: Nicholas Ryan and Corporal Matthew Blake of Fort Worth; Jacob Michel of Wills Point, Texas and Zachary Allen of Kent, Washington; one granddaughter, the "Apple of his Eye", Kathryn Grace of Fort Worth, Texas.
Colonel Rogers was an active member of the 1st Baptist Church, Abilene and was a member of the board of deacons. He has been a Bible Study teacher, Chairman of the Insurance Committee, the Stewardship Committee and the Budget Committee. He was campaign manager of the 1999 capital fund drive, Heritage and Hope, which raised pledges of over 4.7 million dollars for capital improvements in the church. His great love was serving on the missions committee and on the board of City Light Ministries. In addition, he served on the Board of Directors of Disability Resources Incorporated and was the Chairman of the Board of its subsidiary corporation, Disability Resources Operations Inc. He also served on the Board of Development of Hardin Simmons University.
Memories may be shared and condolences submitted online at www.HamilFamilyFuneralHome.com.
Bible Verse
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13