Chuck Rogers

Charles Stanley Rogers II was born on March 12, 1942, to Blanche and Charles and sister Carol (b. 1940). Chuck grew up in Fort Lee, NJ. He graduated from All Hallows High School in the Bronx and then from the ROTC program at St. Michael's College in Colchester, VT. He was commissioned by the United States Air Force and based in Laredo, TX, where he served as an instructor on the Northrop T-38 Talon jet aircraft.

Upon an honorable discharge in 1969, he relocated to Minneapolis, MN, where he began a 33-year flying career with Northwest/Delta Airlines. Soon after arriving, he met Pauline (Polly) Smith Hilgendorf and her two young boys, Tommy (special needs from birth) and Peter. Chuck and Polly were married on April 25, 1970. They had their first daughter, Sara, in 1972. Daughter Rachel was born in 1975, and son Charles III ("Chip") was born in 1978.

It was an unforgettable family ski trip to Big Sky in 1989 that sparked the first of many returns to Montana, and in 1999 the couple moved to a home in Triple Tree Ranch in Bozeman. Chuck built and maintained countless friendships in the Bozeman area and was an active member of Resurrection University Catholic Church.

In 2021 Chuck and Polly moved into The Springs Living in Bozeman where they continued to make new friends and Chuck was well-known as an eager and helpful neighbor.

On January 23 of this year Chuck suffered a severe and catastrophic stroke. After a few days in Bozeman Deaconess Hospital, he passed peacefully and comfortably at home surrounded by his wife and children.

Chuck's family and friends are beyond grateful for the time we had with him on this earth. He was incredibly generous, proud of his family, and found self-fulfillment in doing so much-big and small-for others in his orbit. We are thankful for his life full of grand adventures, hearty meals, good stories and great jokes, and mountains of love.

Chuck is preceded in death by father, Charles Rogers (1974), mother, Blanche Rogers (2010), and stepson, Tommy Mark Hilgendorf (1977). Chuck is survived by his wife, Polly Rogers; stepson, Peter Hilgendorf (son Van, daughter Sylvie); daughters Sara Rogers (fiancé Tom Davern), and Rachel Hagenson (daughter Maddie, son Will); son, Chip Rogers (spouse Brenda Brock, daughter Cooper, son Charles IV "Charlie"); and sister Carol Beaugard.

A celebration of life is being planned for later in the year and will be communicated to family and friends in the Bozeman community and beyond.

We would invite donations in Chuck's honor to the Gallatin Skyhawk Scholarship Foundation, a 501(c)3 whose support helps train the next generation of aviators. Checks can be sent to: GSS Foundation, c/o Paul Routhier, 2486 Arabian Ave, Bozeman, MT 59718.

The family is grateful for the excellent care Chuck received from the staff and providers at Bozeman Deaconess Hospital, Stillwater Hospice, and Qualicare. More of Chuck's story can be found at www.dahlcares.com, where memories and condolences may be shared with the family.