Thursday, February 22, 2007 Older Editions

Ann Rogers

Ann "Andy" (Gill) Rogers, 81, of Andover and North Chatham, died Sunday, Feb. 11, at Edgewood in North Andover.

Born in Albany, N.Y., she was the daughter of the late Charlotte (Bowne) and George H. Gill Jr.

She grew up on the family farm Heathcote and attended St. Agnes School for Girls in Albany, followed by Pine Manor College in Boston, class of '42.

During World War II, Mrs. Rogers was employed by the N.Y. State War Council in Albany.

It was during the war that she met Samuel S. Rogers of Newton.

They were married Nov. 4, 1945 and made their home in Andover and North Chatham. The couple recently celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary.

As community was fundamental to Mrs. Rogers, she was involved as a volunteer in many capacities.

Early on, she headed the Children's Theater Workshop in Andover and was a den mother for the Cub Scouts. She served on the Andover Committee for a Better Chance, an educational program that identifies academically talented youth in educationally disadvantaged circumstances who then receive admission and financial aid to attend New England area schools and colleges. As part of the Andover Committee, Mrs. Rogers helped acquire the first dorm for students who attended the local high schools and she and her husband also served as a host family.

Mrs. Rogers spent many years at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston where she co-chaired the Ladies Committee, organized and led museum tours and trips and hosted events at the museum. She went on to serve as an overseer and was later recognized as a life-overseer.

In between, Mrs. Rogers volunteered at Lawrence General Hospital as well as the Trustees of Reservations Stevens Coolidge House and the Hayscales Exchange in North Andover.

She was a longtime active member of Christ Church in Andover, where she was also a regular participant in the Christmas church fair.

Mrs. Rogers was a lover of music from her early classical piano training to an appreciation of opera and joint love of jazz with her husband.

She was also a longtime series subscriber and financial supporter of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Birding was another important focus in her life, be it on Monomoy Island off Chatham or at bird preserves in England. Together with her husband and other enthusiasts, she accumulated great lists of birds sighted.

Moreover, travel was central to Mrs Rogers' life's experience including trips to India, Kenya, China and Japan.

However, it was the visits to see family and friends in Yorkshire, Wimbledon and Bath, England that were dear to her heart, her family said.

At the core of her life were activities with friends, family, and extended family - from Bridge Club to the Chatham Yacht Club, Reading Group to the Birthday Group, Sip and Sew to her ladies Tray Painting group, including the experience of living with seven families at Inn Hoch, their farmhouse in Vermont.

However, Mrs. Rogers may best be remembered for the meals she and her husband shared on countless occasions with so many around their dining room table at Far End in North Chatham.

In addition to her husband, Sam Rogers, family members include her children, Lynda R. and Gary W. Koch of Pasadena, Md. and North Chatham, Samuel S. Rogers Jr. and Suezan Aikins of Prospect, Nova Scotia, and Christopher W. and Nina Rogers of Nahant and North Chatham; two grandchildren; and her extended family Susan C. Bates of Earlysville, Va., and Karen Kenyon of Yorkshire, England.

A memorial service will be held Friday, March 9, at 11 a.m. at Christ Church, 25 Central St., Andover. Memorial donations may be made to Andover Committee for a Better Chance, PO Box 212, Andover, 01810; or Friends of Pleasant Bay in Chatham (visit www.fopb.org).