Katherine "Kathi" Rogers

1955 - 2022

Katherine "Kathi" Rogers

Concord, NH — After a lifetime in the political arena and public service, Katherine Diane Rogers of Concord was taken by cancer on/passed away on April 10, 2022. The daughter of Albert and Alta Whittier Rogers, Kathi was born on March 7, 1955 in Concord, the city she served and represented for three decades.

A child of the Heights, where she lived her whole life, Kathi made her neighborhood her constituency. She grasped the nettle of politics as a teenager. Two years after graduating from Concord High School in 1972 she took a seat in the Constitutional Convention. Kathi graduated from Clark University in 1977 and a year later became President of the NH Young Democrats.

In 1980 Kathi embarked on a career as a political consultant that took her around the state and across the country during the next decade. Close to home Kathi served on the campaigns of Governor Hugh Gallen, US Senator John Durkin and House Democratic Leader Chris Spirou. Her work included scheduling, organizing, budgeting , communications and strategic planning and carried her to 40 states on behalf of President Jimmy Carter, Vice-President Walter Mondale, Massachusetts Governor Mike Dukakis, Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa and Idaho Governor John Evans. She was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1976, 1980, 1984, 1986 and 1988.

In the 1990s Kathi hung up her traveling shoes and turned her talents and energies to local politics and governance. She joined the State Committee of the New Hampshire Democratic Party in 1978, when she became President of the New Hampshire Young Democrats, and served eight terms on its Executive Committee until her tenure ended with her passing. She was long a mainstay of both the Concord City and Merrimack County Democratic Committees, both of which she chaired. The party honored her service with the McIntyre Shaheen Legacy Award in 2014 and Kathy Sullivan Courage and Leadership Award last year. She has received many awards for her service as an exceptional elected official.

Kathi was elected to the first of eight terms on the Concord City Council in 1991, to the first of eight terms in the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 1992 and to the first of five terms on the Merrimack County Commission in 1998. As a councilor, lawmaker and commissioner she consistently championed the interests of the most vulnerable and least fortunate of her fellow citizens. And never shrank from tackling controversial issues, most notably the regulation of firearms. As chair of the County Commission she oversaw construction of a new jail and nursing home

Kathi left the Legislature in 1998 to earn a law degree at Suffolk University School of Law in 2002 then served as the town prosecutor in Allenstown until 2008 when she was the first woman elected Merrimack County Attorney. As a city councilor she had introduced Project Next Generation and as County Attorney pursued her commitment to young people by leading a Juvenile Justice Task Force and founding a Child Advocacy Center to investigate and prosecute child abuse.

In 2012 Kathi returned to the House, where after serving earlier on the Public Works and Criminal Justice committees, she joined the Finance Committee. In her role as a budget writer, she sought to ensure sufficient funding for social services, mental health, juvenile justice and other programs assisting those in greatest need. As a lawmaker she tempered partisanship with pragmatism by reaching across the aisle to address issues as divisive as the ownership of firearms and as popular as the rights of animals.

Above all, Kathi honored her obligation to her constituents. To the last, while undergoing aggressive and debilitating medical treatment, she played her part in crafting the settlement to compensate victims of abuse at the hands of personnel at the Youth Development Center. Donna Sytek, a former Speaker of the House, who Kathi counted among her mentors, said "I was amazed she did her job while fighting cancer. I have the greatest respect for her." Likewise, Kathy Sullivan, former chair of the New Hampshire of the New Hampshire Democratic Party and a longtime friend, said "Kathi had a real sense of responsibility and despite jeopardizing her health kept right on going."

Kathi's longtime close friend Democratic State Chair Raymond Buckley said "Kathi was brilliant, skilled, and tenacious in everything she did but most of all she was loyal to her friends, who she considered family. Ever since meeting 47 years ago in Jimmy Carter's Concord campaign Headquarters Kathi and I have been a team with many great adventures. We were always there for each other, Kathi was fiercely loyal to all of her close friends. Throughout her life Kathi's underlying concern was protecting those from abuse; animals, children, women and all disenfranchised, discriminated and discarded people. She has left a lasting legacy in Concord, Merrimack County, the state and in the Democratic Party. Our hearts are broken, she will be greatly missed but we will keep our promise to continue her fight."

Bill Shaheen and Senator Jeanne Shaheen, friends of Kathi for decades, said "We met Kathi when we worked together to elect Jimmy Carter President and learned very quickly how smart and passionate she was about politics. Kathi spent her career in public life making a difference for those most in need. She leaves a legacy of generations of people whose lives are better because of her service."

New Jersey Senator Cory Booker said "I am heartbroken to hear that Rep. Kathi Rogers has passed away. New Hampshire has lost an incredible public servant and a force for good. I have lost a dear friend and incomparable ally. May her fierce, indomitable spirit continue to lift us all. I will miss her much."

Kathi cherished her pets, first her cats — Mensch and Kubla Khan — and later her Pugs — Vito and Romeo, both of whom became celebrities. With Vito she hosted a weekly television show on Concord's cable access station, "Vito's Pet Family," while Romeo became an on-line presence known for his pungent political punditry.

Predeceased by her parents, Kathi leaves her brother Stephen Whittier, Sr. and his wife Gayle of Rustburg, Virginia, a nephew Stephen Whittier, Jr. and grandniece Dalton Whittier of Mattapoisett, Massachusetts and several cousins. She is survived by a close circle of friends, her chosen family, who she loved greatly, Raymond Buckley and Donna Soucy of Manchester, Mike, Caitlin and Elizabeth Rollo of Hopkinton, Kris Schultz and Gene Taylor, John DeJoie, Jim Demers, William Stetson and Wayne Eldgride, all of Concord, Michael Kitch, Beth and Doug Campbell all of Penacook and Michael Bartlett of Henniker.

Calling hours are from 4-7 PM, Thursday, April 14, 2022 at the Bennett Funeral Home, 209 North Main St, Concord, NH. A Lutheran funeral service will be held on Friday, April 15, 2022 at 9:00am at the IBEW 490 Labor Hall, 48 Airport Road, Concord, NH followed by burial services at the Blossom Hill Cemetery, 207 North State St. Concord, NH.