Bill Jack Rodgers

Bill Jack Rodgers. Carlsbad resident Bill Jack Rodgers died Tuesday, December 13th with his family by his side, after a long battle with lung cancer and COPD. He was 84 years old. Bill Jack was an only child born in Des Moines, Iowa to Ethel and William J. Rodgers. As a young child his family moved to Iowa City, Iowa. His parents divorced and he was raised by his mother and grandmother, graduating from Iowa City High School in 1945. His mother was later remarried to Fred Dolezal of Iowa City, Iowa. In July 1945 he volunteered for the U.S. Army and served as a Staff Sergeant in Germany at the end of World War II, and later in Fort Hood, Texas until his honorable discharge in May 1947. He returned to Iowa City, Iowa and attended the University of Iowa, majoring in Photo Journalism. There he met the "gal with the best gams in town", Gloria F. Sauser (Dody) and they were married in August of 1949. They were married for 55 years. The couple moved to Dallas, Texas where Bill Jack attended Southwest Photo-Arts Institute, graduating in August 1950. Returning to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Bill Jack worked as a field photographer for Allis Chalmers Construction Machinery. In 1959 he accepted a position with Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (now LANL) and the couple moved to Los Alamos with their oldest daughter Molly Marie (born in 1953). Their other two daughters, Sona Ann and Kim Ann were born in Los Alamos in 1959 and 1965, respectfully. He worked for the Los Alamos Labs for thirty one years as a Public Information Specialist/Photographer, retiring in 1989. He was very involved in Los Alamos county government, spending six years on the Los Alamos Planning and Zoning Commission and later elected twice to the Los Alamos County Council. He was a member of the Professional Photographers of America and received numerous awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award. He was the first President of the Industrial Photographers of the Southwest, and served on the Board of Directors for over twenty years. He also served on the committee that organized the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad, which runs between Chama, New Mexico and Antonito, Colorado and was proud to have"been there from the beginning". After his retirement, he and Dody moved to Durango, Colorado. He returned to his love of railroads, and did photography for the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Working with Amos Cordova, then Vice-President of DSNGRR, they launched the annual Photographers' Train, which now runs in the winter. While living in Durango, he was readily recognized for his performances in the Snowdown follies and his participation in the annual Snowdown celebration. Due to issues with his wife's health, the couple moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1998. He took care of her until she passed away in 2004. In 2010 he relocated to Landsun Homes in Carlsbad, New Mexico to be closer to his daughter Sona and her husband Courtney Herrick. He loved doing freelance photography, especially shooting black and white, and would do whatever was necessary to get the perfect shot. He loved participating in local theater and always "stole the show". He loved talking with people and always had great stories to share. He loved to laugh and had a great sense of humor. He is survived by his daughter, Sona A. Herrick, and son-in-law, Courtney G. Herrick of Carlsbad, New Mexico; his daughter Kim A. Rodgers of Los Alamos, New Mexico; and his grandson and his wife, Rino and Amanda DeMarni and their daughter (great-granddaughter) Ava Marie of Kamloops, British Colombia, Canada. He is preceded in death by his wife Gloria F. Rodgers in 2004 and his eldest daughter Molly M. Rodgers in 2008. A memorial service and celebration of his life will be held at Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church in Los Alamos, New Mexico on Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. A reception will immediately follow. A celebration may also be held in Durango, Colorado in February, the date, time and location to be determined. He wanted all to know, those who knew him, and those who loved him (for to know him, was to love him) - "See Ya Later!"