Walter Ford Rogers Jr.

Walter Ford Rogers, Jr. was born on February 15, 1921 in Riverside Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. He died one month before his 101st birthday on January 13, 2022 in the Mayo Clinic hospital after a very brief illness. He grew up in the Riverside neighborhood of Jacksonville, attending West Riverside Elementary school, John Gorrie middle school, and graduating from Robert E Lee high school in 1939. He then graduated from Harvard College in February 1943 and, having participated in Army ROTC at Harvard, went straight into the Army and field artillery school in Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. Before deployment he married Dorothy Arnold of Jacksonville, whom he had dated while she attended Wellesley College in Boston. They honeymooned on the way to Ft. Sill.

In the spring of 1944 he went with his 561st Field Artillery battalion on the Ile de France luxury liner converted to troop ship to England where he prepared for the D-Day invasion of France. His battalion entered France through Utah Beach two weeks after D-Day, where they were involved in the capture of Brest, a German submarine base. They went on to fight through France, were on the front lines of the Battle of the Bulge, then pushed into Germany and the concentration camp at Dachau. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French government for bravery. During the war his battalion fired over 10,000 rounds of Long Tom 155mm shells at the Germans. On VE day, he was in Paris singing arm-in-arm with all of the soldiers and revelers on the Avenue des Champs-Elysees.

When the Germans surrendered in May 1945 Walter returned to Jacksonville, then to Harvard Law School where he graduated in 1949. He returned to practice law with his father in the firm Rogers, Bryan and Rogers. He was a member of the Florida Yacht Club and the River Club, plus was president and on the boards of Wesley Manor retirement home, Jacksonville Civic Music, the Delius Society, the NE Florida Estate Planning Council, and the North Florida Visiting Nurses. He was also active in the Bar Association, the Torch Club, the Leica Photography Society and the International Palm Society with which he attended several spectacular international meetings. He retired from law practice in 2004 after 56 years. He was a member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and for the last 30 years of Riverside Presbyterian Church. He was in a weekly Tuesday night poker group with friends for over 50 years.

Walter was a devoted family man and always supported his children in their various interests. He served as a scout leader in Boy Scout Troop 26, and always had good relationships with his children’s friends. He liked to travel and to be with friends, and with Dorothy (died 1986) and his second wife Janet Millar (married 1991, died 2007) he travelled to many interesting places around the world. He is pre-deceased by his brother John (Becky) and sister Minerva Rogers Mason (Raymond), and is survived by his brother Henry, his son Arnold (Pat) and daughter Winfield Duss (Bob, deceased), 3 Stepchildren Dawson Davis, Claire Brock and Ted Rowland, plus 5 grandchildren Caroline Rogers Nichols (Gene), Austin Rogers Holland (Rob), Dr. Charles Duss (Dr. Dawn), Chris Duss (Cy), and Dr. Shields Duss Hoida (Dr. Jeff). He also has 11 great-grandchildren. To the end of his life Walter always had friends and loved to be with people, especially his extended family. Despite the recent Covid lockdowns and restrictions, he always wanted to keep living his life and seeing people. His extended family will all miss him, as he remained active in everyone’s lives until the very end.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Sulzbacher Center or to Riverside Presbyterian Church would be appreciated.

A graveside service for friends and family will be held Saturday, February 12, 2022 at 11:00 AM at Evergreen Cemetery, 4535 N Main St, Jacksonville, FL 32206.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hgriversidefuneralhome.com for the Rogers family.