John Stewart Rogers, age 84, of Stratford, passed away peacefully on Sunday, May 3, 2020 in his home, surrounded by his loving family. John is survived by his true love and best friend of 55 years, Mildred (Austin) Rogers. Proud and loving father of Marc and his wife Karen Kosowski, John will be remembered by his brother-in-law and sister-in-law Harold and Janet Austin and their three sons Dan, Greg, and Colin. John also leaves behind a very good jazz vinyl album collection and a huge library of historical fiction novels, biographies, and British detective series.
After serving a tour in the RCAF out of high school, John went to work on the DEW Line as a radar technician scanning for Russian ICBM launches, while simultaneously earning a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from UNB, alternating work and school year-on year-off. His next job, which was at a mine site in Murdochville, sparked an interest in mining and geology, and he went on to achieve his Masters in Mining Engineering from McGill (while wife Mildred taught school in Montreal to support them). He went on to work at mining sites across Canada, the USA, Chile, the Philippines, and Saudi Arabia, where in 2003 he and his wife survived an Al Quaida car bomb attack that left John with semi-permanent nerve damage to his right arm. (Not to be intimidated, they remained in Saudi Arabia for another 3 years.) John and Mildred “retired” to Stratford ON in 2006 to be closer to their son and daughter-in-law, though John continued to do consulting work until recently. He was an avid jazz fan and a very devoted follower of his son Marc’s career as a professional jazz and session bassist.
Cremation has taken place and a celebration of John’s life will take place at a later date. As expressions of sympathy, memorial donations may be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario or to a charity of one’s choice through the W.G. Young Funeral Home, 430 Huron Street, Stratford. 519.271.7411. www.wgyoungfuneralhome.com
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of John S Rogers 2020..
Death notice for the town of: Stratford, Province: Ontario