Katherine “Kate” Rogers Arnold

At 5:20pm on February 16, 2026, Katherine “Kate” Rogers Arnold peacefully departed this world. She was surrounded by family and friends, and did so on her own terms, winning back the control of her body that cancer and illness had long sought to wrest from her. She is survived by her loving husband Charles, her daughters Elizabeth and Josephine “Josie” , her mother and stepfather Sue Ann “Susie” and Norman Fleet, and her brother and sister-in-law Matson and Kathy Rogers, as well as extended family and friends far too numerous to count. She was preceded in death by her father, Thomas “Tom” Rogers.

Katherine Temple Rogers was born on March 1, 1971, in Washington, D.C. to Susie and Tom. They were not in DC long before moving to the mountains. First Denver, then Aspen, and then Denver again all the way through to college. If you asked Kate where she was from, she would always say Denver, but if you pressed, she would say “the mountains,” where a piece of her soul always has and always will reside.

Kate was devoted to her family, and her family to her. Her partnership with her husband Charles was a source of endless strength for them both. Her primary occupation and passion was being a mother, a job made more challenging over the years as her health failed, but one into which she poured all of her love and succeeded wonderfully. Additionally, in 2005 as the girls got into their school years, Kate began selling clothing for CAbi and then later shifted to jewelry with Noonday. She loved to help women, both friends and friends of friends, feel beautiful. And through this work she also became known in the community, running into people she knew everywhere, from the grocery store down the street to airports on the other side of the world.

Kate, despite being a true introvert, had a gift for meeting people and for placing them at ease, even when she herself was struggling. Nowhere did this have greater impact than in her work with Blood Cancer United’s First Connections program. Kate spoke with newly diagnosed patients and shared with them her experiences as a patient and a survivor. She was not always able to eliminate their fears, but at least it was no longer the fear of the unknown.

Kate will be sorely missed by all who knew her. A service will be held in her honor on March 21, 2026 at 1 p.m. at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Lake Forest, IL. A Celebration of Life will follow immediately at a venue to be determined later. All are welcome.

Kate spent a large portion of her life selling beautiful clothing. Let’s not wear black to this event. Please wear colors, clothing, and jewelry that remind you of her. Wear what makes you feel best about yourself so that Kate knows her efforts were not in vain.


In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Blood Cancer United at www.kateandcharles.com.