Donley Leroy Rogers

Don passed away at his home in his sleep on the night of January 13, 2018.

Born February 5, 1932, in the family home just outside of College Place, Don was the sixth child of parents Dallas and Pearl Rogers.

Don was a lifelong resident of the Walla Walla valley. He attended the Yellowhawk grade school and graduated high school at Walla Walla College Academy in 1952. That was a big year for Don, as on August 17, he married his sweetheart, Maxine Wright, in the Walla Walla Seventh-day Adventist Church. One month after the wedding he was drafted into the U.S. Army and went off to basic training. He served on the front lines in the Korean War, as an ambulance driver until the end of the war. He transported the wounded from the front lines to the field hospitals. He was proud to serve his country but never forgot the horrors of war that he experienced on the battlefield.

Following the war Don returned home where he rented a typewriter. For one month solid, he practiced in hopes of getting a job with the Army Corps of Engineers. His efforts paid off and he began a 33 year career with the Corps. He spent many of his years there as a Reality Specialist. Following his retirement, he worked part time at the Walla Walla Valley Credit Union in the Corps of Engineers branch for 15 years. Don was loved by co-workers and clients as well.

In 1957 Don and Maxine welcomed their first child, Gary Wayne into their family and in 1959 their daughter Sharline Lynette was born. Don was an amazing husband and father. Don was a very active member of the Walla Walla City Church of Seventh-day Adventists for many years and in later years of the Village Church in College Place. Don was a talented musician both in singing and playing piano. He was a local talent in the art world around Walla Walla. He enjoyed pen and ink, water color, and oil painting. His favorite subjects were Native Americans and wild animals.

Don was preceded in death by all of his siblings and his wife Maxine. He is survived by his son, Gary Rogers of College Place; his daughter, Lynette and husband Randy Bates of Loma Linda, California; his grandson, Jonathan of Sandpoint, Idaho; and great- grandchildren, Aidan, Talia and Felix Bates of Sandpoint; and many nieces and nephews. Don was such a loved man by family and friends alike. He was known as a gentle and kind man.

Services will be held at the Village Church of Seventh-day Adventist on Saturday, January 20 at 3 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Don’s name to Quiet Hour Ministries, PO Box 3000, Redlands, CA 92373 or Gospel Outreach, 712 NE C Street, College Place, WA 99324.