Sue Rogers

Funeral service for Johnnie Sue Rogers, age 97 of Sulphur springs, Texas will be held at 2:00 P.M. on Saturday, September 23, 2023 at Murray-Orwosky Funeral Home wit Ed Lantz officiating. Interment will follow at Weaver Cemetery. Visitation will be held one our prior to the service.

Johnnie Sue Rogers was born June 5, 1926 in Sulphur Springs, Texas and passed away September 16, 2023 in Sulphur Springs, Texas.  She was preceded in death by her Mother and Father, Hazel Bernice Crabb and Willie Alvie Crabb, as well as three brothers, Larry Crabb, Pat Crabb and Max Crabb.  She was also preceded in death by her husband, Charles Leonard Rogers and a grandson, Clayton Bradley Rogers.

She is survived by 5 children, Suzanne Gardner, Lou Jane Brandenburg and husband Jerry, Deborah Wright and husband Frank, Robin Shrode and husband James, and Brad Rogers and wife Rachelle.  She is also survived by 17 Grandchildren, 40 Great Grandchildren and 13 Great-Great Grandchildren.

Sue Rogers was an extraordinarily talented, resourceful, loving and compassionate individual that left the world a better place than she found it.

Having been a child of the Great Depression and young adult during World War II, she saw some of the lowest times in human history, yet spent the rest of her life helping others, being an amazing wife and mother, and contributing to society in innumerable ways.

The love of her life, her husband Charles, and her 5 children, along with their extended families, were the things she was most proud of throughout her 97 years.  Nothing was dearer to her than family gatherings, having all the extended clan together cooking, watching ball games, celebrating life events and all the blessings she’d been given. Despite never having had the opportunity to attend college, one of her greatest regrets, her self-taught and God given talents as an architect, engineer, seamstress, carpenter, furniture builder, custom RV creator, etc. are simply legendary. 

When she and Charles moved to Hopkins County in the mid 50’s to start a dairy farm, the required barns and remodel of an old farmhouse were no problem, she simply designed and helped build them.

Clothes for her, her growing family, friends, and others were often hand sewn, with or without a pattern, by Sue.  In the late 60’s, she and her mother took a ’58 Bluebird school bus with curved ceiling and turned it into a custom-built RV for the growing family.  All designed and built by them, often with repurposed materials.

For decades, any remodels or expansions to homes needed anywhere within the large, extended family always resulted in the same launch plan; “Call Mom/Nanny/Sue, she can come up with a design and help us do it”! Furniture for the family, over the years, was often either refurbished with enhancements to the original, or built from scratch using ideas in her head.  In the 70’s, she helped design and build a parade float for her youngest daughter, which turned into another area of expertise, being the lead “consultant” for many Dairy Festival families each Fall over the coming years.

Her decades-long affiliation with Goodwill Industries endeared her to many people in the community who were less fortunate.  Not only did she assist them with finding the goods they needed, but also with assistance filling out forms, getting necessary transportation, or whatever other services they needed.  Sue simply cared about people, without regard for anything other than her compassion and genuine love for making people’s lives better.

In our divided, contentious, and chaotic world today, the answer to bring us all together is people like Sue Rogers.  An amazing woman who could find the goodness in anything or anyone.  She’ll truly be missed.

Mom/Nanny/Sue, “We Love You the Most”!

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate you supporting your favorite charity, helping others as Sue did throughout her life.