James A. Rogers

1946 - 2023

James A. Rogers June 23, 1946 - March 18, 2023 James Arthur Rogers was born on June 23, 1946, to Naylon Leonard and Etha Mae (Brown) Rogers in Livingston, Texas. He was welcomed by his sister, Wanda Ruth. He left his earthly body on March 18, 2023, at home surrounded by his family.

James graduated from Livingston High School in 1965. He enjoyed his time on the Livingston Lions football team until an injury sidelined him. After graduation he worked for a time in the Houston area before enlisting in the U.S. Army and proudly served for three years. Following his training at Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas he was stationed in Germersheim, Germany, where he was a warhead specialist and received an honorable discharge in September 1968.

James married the love of his life, Ruth Anita, on March 23, 1968. The couple met in 1963 on a blind date and felt an immediate bond. They were blessed with twin daughters, Christina ("Christi") and Angela ("Angi"), in June 1971. The family settled in the Houston area, where James trained and worked as a fabricator and welder. In 1978 they moved to Jacksboro where he was employed through the years by the City of Jacksboro, Bryson Tank Company, Hexcel Corporation and retired from The Texas Department of Transportation.

If you needed to know the year, make and model of any vehicle but had only a picture of a fender or grille, James could tell you about it in great detail. He loved working on old cars or browsing in salvage yards for parts. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, searching for arrowheads and other Indian artifacts, and was a huge fan of the Dallas Cowboys. James was a devoted, loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He loved people and seldom met a stranger.

James had a strong belief in God and relied on that faith daily. He gave his heart to the Lord at an early age in the church where his father served as a deacon. James was ordained as a deacon at Jermyn Baptist Church. He and Ruth later felt the call to move their membership to Southwest Baptist Church where they had attended after relocating to Jacksboro. He loved his church family and served as a deacon and trustee.

He was preceded in death by his parents, stepfather, Charles R. Jedlicka, sister, Wanda Hill, and grandson, James Tyler Womack. Those left behind to cherish his memory are wife, Ruth; daughter Angi and husband John Womack; daughter Christi and husband Russell Pfau; grandson Justin Womack; grandson Zach Pfau; granddaughter Emily Womack; granddaughter, Candice, husband Zack Rust, and great grandchildren Tristen, Brye, Zoey & Rowan; niece Laura Miller; and niece Regina and husband Curtis Karr.

Funeral services were held 2 PM Friday, March 24, 2023, at South West Baptist Church in Jacksboro, Texas. Burial followed at Cottonwood Cemetery in Bryson, Texas.

Memorials can be made to Hospice of Wichita Falls, 4909 Johnson Road, Wichita Falls, TX 76310 and Concerned Citizens of Jack County, 400 East Pine, Jacksboro, TX 76458.