One of God’s noble warriors has graduated this earth life with honors. Born Jan 8, 1929 to Henry Theodore Rogers and Vonda Whitlock Rogers, Dick would dedicate his life to teaching and service. Touching thousands of lives as a patriarch and math professor, his influence for good would be difficult to estimate. As a young man he served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints to Texas where he taught the gospel along with learning to speak Spanish and cook Mexican food. Teaching the gospel remained a constant in his life. The Spanish he would use at every opportunity including a later mission to Spain with his sweetheart. The Mexican food continues to wow his family as he passed on the delicious recipes. He served in the Air Force where he was led to his future brother in-law, who was so impressed by him that he set him up with his wife’s sister. He married his dream girl, Nina Merle Cotton, on June 29, 1955. Nearly 70 years together, she was his everything and often said how lucky he was to have her. Together they raised a daughter, Cindy, and a son Jon. He would often say “family is everything.” He loved to talk with his posterity and would ask about their circumstances whenever they were together.
He earned his doctorate in education in Oklahoma and dedicated 30 years to honing his dry wit and passing on his love and understanding of mathematics to future generations at Weber State University. Even after retiring he would spend free time making up difficult math problems and solving them for fun. A man of many talents and endeavors, he kept a meticulous garden and occasional cows and loved to share in the bounty. He was also an avid runner, running marathons and practicing good health patterns throughout his life. At one time he even gave up sugar in his later years when a routine lab was minimally elevated.
Above all he was a man devoted to God. He flourished as he served in multiple callings including bishop, stake presidency, and stake patriarch. Each patriarchal blessing he gave was a sacred offering with fasting and prayer to reveal what God wanted to say to that individual. Many knew him as the kind old man who somehow knew their name and asked how they were doing.
His legacy in this life continues with his loving wife, Nina Merle Cotton Rogers, his daughter Cindy (Doug), his son Jon (Denise), his 10 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held Friday April 11, 2025 at 12:00 p.m. at the Evergreen Chapel, 2435 E. Canyon Rim Rd., Layton, Utah. Family and friends may visit Thursday April 10 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lindquist’s Layton Mortuary, 1867 N. Fairfield Rd., Layton, Utah and Friday from 10:30 to 11:30 at the church prior to the service.
Interment, Kaysville City Cemetery, 500 E. Crestwood Rd., Kaysville, Utah.
The funeral service will be live-streamed and may be viewed by scrolling to the bottom of Dick’s obituary page at www.lindquistmortuary.com
Thursday, April 10, 2025
6:00 - 8:00 pm (Mountain time)
Lindquist’s Layton Mortuary
Friday, April 11, 2025
10:30 - 11:30 am (Mountain time)
Evergreen Chapel
Friday, April 11, 2025
Starts at 12:00 pm (Mountain time)
Evergreen Chapel
Visits: 730
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