George Truett Rogers, 88, died on March 31, 2020, at Garrett Regional Medical Center in Oakland, Md. Born April 7, 1931, in Joliet, Ill., he was the son of Herschel E. and Mary O’Bryan Rogers. He most recently resided in Oakland, Md., and had been a long time resident of Terra Alta’s Alpine Lake. His previous residences include Morgantown and Philippi, Colorado, Texas and Indiana.
A graduate of Hardin-Simmons University (B.A.) and Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary (B.D.) in Texas, Rogers earned his M.A. and PhD from the University of Colorado. His professional careers involved pastoring two churches in Colorado, as well as the First Baptist Church in Morgantown. He also was a history professor at Alderson Broaddus College and an adjunct at West Virginia University’s Honors College, which he considered the highlight of his career. A lifelong learner himself, Rogers eagerly approached both his ministry and his students with a keen desire to impart knowledge and share ideas. He loved his parishioners and his students, and they loved him.
Rogers authored several professional articles and books concerning Baptist history, including “A Biography of David Jones 1736 – 1820” and “Bibles and Battle Drums.” He was an honorary member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. A member of Rotary International, he was active in civic affairs, and he gained much satisfaction from being part of the First Baptist ministry to bring doctors, nurses, dentists and water wells to Haiti.
Rogers is survived by his wife Bonetta (Bonnie) Winters and three children residing in Colorado, Paula Yvonne Vogelsberg, Gary Bryan Rogers and Gregory Dale Rogers; two stepdaughters, Juliette Dorene West and Jonquil Dawn Ogden, of Morgantown; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife Dorene N. Rogers and by his first wife Yvonne McElwain.
Details for a memorial service to be held at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Oakland, Md., where he attended with his wife Bonnie, will be available at a later date. Memorials may be sent to the West Virginia Baptist Historical Society of Ripley, the Honors College of West Virginia University or Hospice of Garrett County. The C & S Fredlock Funeral Home, P.A., Oakland, Md. is honored to be assisting the Rogers family at this time.
