Donald Rogers M.D.

1932 - 2019

On Oct 9, 2019, Donald R. Rogers passed away peacefully at home in Anchorage, Alaska, at the age of 87, after a long battle with prostate cancer.
Don was born on April 7, 1932, to John Robert and Thelma Neely Rogers in
Tacoma, Wash. He graduated from the University of Puget Sound and the University of Washington School of Medicine. After his internship, he joined the Navy, attended Flight
Surgeon school and was stationed in Adak, Alaska. He especially enjoyed his time there and he found a lifelong home in Alaska. In 1967, after resigning his commission as a Lieutenant Commander and completing a Pathology residency, he moved his young family to Anchorage to set up the lab at Anchorage Community Hospital, which eventually became Alaska Regional Hospital. Don was the first Alaska State Medical
Examiner, a position he held for 27 years. He assisted in the investigation and prosecution of many high-profile homicide cases in Anchorage and was portrayed in the movie "On Frozen Ground," a film based on one particularly notorious case.
Don loved flying and was a consummate pilot. His primary flight instruction came while he was serving in the Navy. Over the years, he owned and built many airplanes, starting with his beloved black and white Cessna 180. He built a Baby Great Lakes and a Prowler Jaguar, and he owned a Cessna 185, a Cessna 337, an Aero Commander 500S, a North American SNJ (with a group of friends) and a Douglas A-26. He donated the latter to the Planes of Fame museum in Chino, California, establishing a relationship with the founders of that museum including aviation legends Ed Maloney and Steve Hinton. He worked tirelessly to help establish the Alaska Aviation Museum and spent many, many hours "hangar flying" with his friends in aviation even after he was unable to continue flying.
Don had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and had an expert grasp of many subjects, including medicine, aviation, firearms, coins, birds, astronomy, politics, WWII history, Egyptian history, and nearly everything else he encountered. He had a great wealth of friends from every walk of life and never went anywhere without running into a friend or two.
Don and his wife, Georgia, were married in 1956 and enjoyed 63 happy years of marriage. They raised a family and traveled the world together. They have two children, Steve and Julie.
Don considered himself a pessimistic agnostic, but if he was pleasantly surprised, he was met on the other side by his parents, John and Thelma; his sister, June; and many dear friends and loved ones. He is survived by his wife, Georgia; his son, Steve
and his wife Nancy; his daughter, Julie and her husband Brad; his grandchildren, Ryan and his wife, Ashley; Lindsay and her husband, Michael; and Kevin and his wife, Lisa. He also has 8 great-grandchildren, Malcolm, Elliot, River, Reine, Ciel, Soleil, Hayden and Emmy.
Don was a one-of-a-kind individual, dearly loved and will be missed by so many, including the members of the Alaska Aviation Museum, the Russian Jack Rotary Club, the American Cancer Society, the QBs, the Alaska Gun Collectors, and the Wednesday Night Club (which meets on Thursdays).
Memorial donations may be sent to the American Cancer Society or the Alaska Aviation Museum.
A celebration of life will be held on Oct 25, 2019 at the Alaska Aviation Museum from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.