February 12, 1951 — June 17, 2022
Kenneth M. “Mike” Rogers, 71, of Slater, died Friday, June 17, 2022, at his home surrounded by his loving family.
Funeral services will be Tuesday, June 21, 2022, at 10:30 a.m. at First Baptist Church in Slater, with Pastor Chris Lemmon officiating. Burial with military honors will be in Slater City Cemetery. Visitation will be from 9 until 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the church, with a Masonic Service immediately preceding the funeral services. Memorials are suggested to Preferred Hospice or the charity of the donor’s choice in care of Weiker Funeral Home in Slater.
Born Feb. 12, 1951, in Kansas City, Kan., he was the son of the late Doyle Albert Rogers and Ella Elizabeth Hayden Rogers. On Sept. 27, 1969, in Kansas City, Kan., he married Katherine K. Surface, and she survives of the home.
Also surviving is a daughter, Kelli Grimes and her husband, Claude, of Marshall; a son, Jacob Rogers and his wife, Kelley, of Columbia; six grandchildren, Shanice Falls, Alex McGowan (Cheyenne), Morgan White (Keshawn), Luke Rogers, Natalie Rogers and Emily Rogers; three
great-grandchildren, Scarlett McGowan, Lynden McGowan and Noah White; a brother, Bill Schreimann and his wife, JoeAnn, of Kansas City, Kan.; a sister, Janine Pennington and her husband, Ray, of Kansas City, Kan.; a sister-in-law, Lily Rogers of Oak Grove; a brother-in-law, Burton Surface and his wife, Diana, of Marshall; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by two brothers, Tommy Joe Hayden and Raymond Rogers; and a sister, Charlotte Foster.
Mr. Rogers joined the U.S. Marine Corps on April 6, 1969, serving in Vietnam from April 1970 until he was medevacked home to the Great Lakes Naval Hospital. He was discharged from the Marine Corps on Oct. 13, 1970. He was an active member and past-Commander of the American Legion Post #78 in Slater. He was a member of the V.F.W. Post #4367 in Slater. He participated in the Honor Flight Program and worked to help other veterans receive the benefits they were entitled to. He was a member of the Cambridge Masonic Lodge #63 A.F. & A.M. He enjoyed riding his motorcycle and was a member of the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association #46. He had a long career on the railroad, beginning with
refueling engines in Kansas City before transferring to Slater in 1975 as a brakeman. He retired as an engineer in 2005. He served as local chairman for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, and worked with the Operation Lifesaver Program, teaching train safety in schools.
