Carolyn Rogers Hoff

On the evening of Monday, March 13, 2023, at 11:35 PM CDT, Carolyn passed away from complications of a seven-month battle with cancer. She was attended by her husband and the staff of St. Luke's Baptist Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. Carolyn was 76 years old, just shy of her 77th birthday.

Carolyn Rogers was born in Houston, Texas on April 12, 1946. She was the second child, and the only daughter, of Ruth Bellows Rogers and Dale Coy Rogers. After Ruth and Dale divorced, Carolyn and her mother lived with her grandmother Maud Bellows, who operated a boarding house in Houston, Texas.

Carolyn graduated from San Jacinto High School in Houston in 1964.

Carolyn married Kelton Ehrensberger on April 7, 1966. Kelton created Business Electronics Corp. which was the exclusive retailer of Sharp calculators in Houston from 1968 to 1972. Carolyn served as office manager and bookkeeper for BEC. Carolyn and Kelton reached a parting of the ways and were divorced in February 1974.

Carolyn married Frederick L. Hoff II on June 12, 1976. The couple was living in Houston at the time, but the ceremony was held on the Guadalupe River north of New Braunfels. Carolyn's father – then a priest in the Episcopal Church – presided.

Carolyn and Fred moved to New Braunfels in June of 1979, moving into the house where they were married. Carolyn found work with a succession of New Braunfels firms, most notably Gaz Green Real Estate and Investments, as a bookkeeper and/or office manager until she retired.

As anyone who knows her can confirm, the most striking aspect of Carolyn's character was her absolute and total selflessness. She was always more concerned for others than for herself. If anyone she knew (and sometimes ones she did not) had a problem, she rushed to help. From a sympathetic ear to material assistance, Carolyn would offer and deliver. It was not a studied or practiced effort; it was simply Carolyn.

Carolyn was incredibly accomplished in the culinary art. She could “paint by numbers” or copy somebody else's work, but she could equally well take ingredients and seasonings and with that palette create a new “foodscape” that was delicious. She loved to cook.

Carolyn also had an artist's eye. As both a photographer and as a container gardener – her two favorite avocations – she was extremely skilled at both framing and composition.

Carolyn was preceded in death by her grandmother Maud Bellows, her mother Ruth Bellows Rogers, her father Dale Coy Rogers, her uncle Gene S. “Red” Rogers, her older brother Dale Lee Rogers, her aunt Marjorie Bellows Bruce and her uncle Kenneth Bruce.

Carolyn is survived by her stepbrother James Rogers (Tulsa, Oklahoma), her stepbrother Jeff Rogers (Tulsa, Oklahoma), her half-brother Scott Rogers (Claremore, Oklahoma), her half-brother Craig Rogers (Colorado Springs, Colorado), her sister-in-law Judy Rogers (New Braunfels, Texas), her niece Amy Rogers Noble (New Braunfels, Texas), and her husband Fred (New Braunfels, Texas).

Messages of condolence may be sent to the Zoeller Funeral Home, New Braunfels, Texas. The family requests that in lieu of flowers donations be made in Carolyn's name to Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation, Kendalia, Texas. In this way, Carolyn will be able to continue to care for the wildlife and natural world that she loved so much.

A memorial gathering of family and close friends will be held at a future time.