Nelson Wade Rogers, formerly of Athens, Alabama, passed away peacefully
on Friday, August 3, 2018, surrounded by his family and friends. Visitation will take place at McConnell Funeral Home in Athens from
6-8PM on Monday, August 6, 2018, and the funeral service will take place
at McConnell Funeral Home on Tuesday, August 7 at 11 AM, with the
burial/committal service to be held immediately thereafter in Roselawn
Cemetery at McConnell. Donnie Rogers will officiate the service, and
both Donnie Rogers and son Troy Rogers will eulogize Wade.
Wade is preceded in death by his wife, Wanda Sue Stanley Rogers,
formerly of Roan Mountain, Tennessee; his parents, Willie and Nellie
Rogers, of Tanner; a brother, Cecil Rogers, of Huntsville; and a sister,
Hazel Brooks, of Athens.
He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law,
Troy and Dr. Tamsie-Coker Rogers, of Killen; a brother, Donnie Rogers,
of Elkmont, and a host of nieces and nephews.
Beloved family members Tony King, Mike Smith, Jerry Smith, Steve Rogers,
Jimmy Rogers, Donnie Rogers and Troy Rogers will serve as pallbearers.
In lieu of flowers, please make any donations to the Michael J. Fox
Foundation, which funds Parkinson’s research.
Donation Processing
The Michael J. Fox Foundation
P.O. Box 5014
Hagerstown, MD 21741-5014
Wade was born on September 8, 1942, to parents Willie and Nellie Rogers,
and he grew up in the Reid community, graduating from Tanner High
School in 1961, where he was a standout in both varsity football and
baseball. He was also as able-bodied a farmhand as he was an athlete,
often helping his father, Willie Rogers, in the snow white cotton fields
of Tanner after school. Wade attended the Sunny Hill Church of Christ
with his family.
After high school, Wade enlisted in the United States Army, completing
basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina and then serving his
enlistment stateside, ultimately being honorably discharged. Wade’s
military training came in handy a short time later, as he graduated from
the Alabama Police Academy and joined the Madison Police Department as a
patrolman in 1966. That same year, Wade met the love of his life, the
former Wanda Sue Stanley of Roan Mountain, Tennessee, at the Monrovia
Restaurant in Madison, when he sat down at a table in her waitress
section. They quickly grew to fancy each other, falling in love and
marrying in November 1966.
Two short years later, in 1968, Wade was
named both the Madison City Police Officer of the Year and Outstanding
Peace Officer for the 8th District of Alabama. During this time, Wade
also became the first Madison City Officer to train and maintain a full
time K-9 unit, his German Shepherd partner Heiko.
In January 1969, Wade and Sue would welcome their only child, a son,
Troy Nelson Rogers.
In 1973, Wade accepted a position as Security Officer at Engelhard, and
was quickly promoted to Officer in Charge of Security. He excelled at
his job, and was offered an opportunity by Engelhard to attend truck
driving school and become one of the Huntsville branch’s inaugural
silver nitrate drivers, a position he thoroughly enjoyed until his
retirement in 1998.
Wade also realized early in his Engelhard career that he missed military
life, so he enlisted with the Alabama National Guard, and he retired as
an E6 Staff Sergeant, serving his entire career with the 1343rd
Engineering Battalion, Headquarters Company. Being the consummate family
provider and hard worker, Wade also worked part time on weekends for
many years as a car salesman for Jack Yarber Ford of Athens.
Wade was a Christian husband, father, brother and friend, and he was
actively involved with the Midway Baptist Church congregation for many
years, attending with Sue until she succumbed to cancer in 1998, then
for a period of time afterward until moving to Killen to be closer to
his son Troy and daughter-in-law, Dr. Tamsie Coker-Rogers.
In later years, Wade was a member of the Lee Heights Baptist Church
congregation in Florence.
Wade will be greatly missed, and his daughter-in-law Tamsie and
“grandpuppy” Clementine were the apples of his eye. He lived his last 17
months bravely fighting Parkinson’s with dementia at Glenwood
Rehabilitation Facility in Florence, where he enjoyed daily, extended
visits with his son, his daughter-in-law, and his brother Donnie, as
well as other family members and friends. The Glenwood staff became
family members to the entire Rogers family during Wade’s stay as a
resident, as the love, care and compassion shown to him by the staff was
second to none.
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