John "Jack" A. Rodgers

John (Jack) A. Rodgers lived an extraordinary life and passed on Sunday, August 29 of natural causes. He was an exceptional collegiate athlete, a devout Catholic and a natural leader. Those qualities helped him succeed as a businessman, entrepreneur and family man. He leaves a legacy of special personal relationships with family, friends and many in the Seattle business community. Jack made everyone feel important, heard and loved. That was his gift.

Jack was born in Oak Park, IL, on August 7, 1931. It was there, 14 years later, where he met the love of his life, Nancy, in their freshman science class. He knew from the very first moment he saw her that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He has always claimed that Nancy was the impetus for all of his success and motivation.

Jack attended the University of Kansas and played varsity basketball and football for the Jayhawks. He was a member of the 1952 NCAA National Championship basketball team. His love of sports and athletic competition continued with his support of Seattle area sports teams. He was a founding member of the Seattle Seahawks Booster Club and part of the ownership group for the Seattle Supersonics and the Seattle Storm. His passion for basketball led him to play a key role in the early development of the Seattle Storm organization, culminating in their first WNBA Championship in 2004.

After a brief assignment in the U.S. Air Force, Jack began a lucrative business career with IBM which moved him and his family from coast to coast. He and Nancy decided to make Seattle their permanent home in 1972 when they moved to Mercer Island. His entrepreneurial flame was sparked when he and his family members bought one of the first McDonald’s franchises from Ray Kroc in 1959. Over the years, Jack owned and operated several successful franchises including Benihana, Red Robin, Athlete’s Foot Stores and others. He became a Board member of West One Bank and made valuable connections in the Seattle investment community. His experience with franchising and involvement in a Seattle private equity group brought him the opportunity to join a small coffee enterprise called Il Giornale in 1986 which soon became Starbucks Coffee Company.

Jack’s roles within Starbucks evolved as the company grew from a start-up led by a few passionate leaders, to a global public company with over 300,000 partners. He served as the first Starbucks Senior Vice President of Business Development, helping to foster Starbucks’ people-first culture, and rapid store growth in the USA, Canada, and Japan. He served on the Board of Directors during the early years of Starbucks development, and became a consultant and mentor to many of the people at Starbucks over the years. Jack remained very close to company operations and its people even after his retirement in 1998. Jack cherished his many years with Starbucks and the friendships he made along the way.

Jack is survived by his four children and their spouses: Jack Rodgers and Leslie Dorsett, Tom and Kimberly Rodgers, Sue and Dave Sturtevant, and Sandy and Duncan Haynes. He has seven grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews who consider him their second Dad. Family was Jack’s number one priority in life and we are all so thankful for the love he shared and lessons he taught us along the way. We know he is resting at peace in heaven with his beloved wife and our Mom, Nancy.

Jack and Nancy created two scholarship funds for University of Kansas students. These funds support Native American or African American students attending KU Schools of Business and Education. Donations in honor of Jack, can be made to these KU scholarship funds at KUEndowment.org. (Please reference John A. Rodgers Funds.) Donations may also be made to the Ronald McDonald House at rmhcseattle.org.

Celebration of Life to be held at 1:00 PM on November 20, 2021 at Overlake Golf and Country Club (8000 NE 16th St, Medina, WA 98039). Please check back closer to November 20th for covid protocol.

Overlake Golf and Country Club will be enforcing King County mandates to reduce the spread of covid-19. All patrons and customers 12-years of age and older must provide verification that they are fully vaccinated or have had a negative COVID-19 test within the previous 72 hour period prior to entry. Masks must be worn by all attendees unless they are actively drinking or eating. Please refer to the following website for more details: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/current-guidance/verify.aspx