Vivian Love Willis Rogers

1935 - 2021

Vivian Love Willis Rogers, 85, of Kirksville, Missouri, passed away on Thursday, April 15, 2021. She was born in Snowflake, Arizona on 28 July 1935 and was adopted by her grandparents, Joseph Stratton Willis and Wilmirth East Flake Willis.

She graduated from Snowflake High School, Snowflake, Arizona, in 1952, and began working to earn the money she needed to attend college, including working for the USDA in Washington, DC. She graduated from Brigham Young University in 1959, earning a Bachelor's Degree in English.

Vivian worked for a number of different companies over the years, including Memorex, Lockheed Missile, the US Bureau of Mines, the City of Albany, Benton County Public Works, and Money Tree Software. Throughout her life, she was a piano teacher, and shared her love of music with all who came into her life, teaching hundreds of students to play. She shared her talents with her church, school districts, local choirs, community theater groups, and was always available to "play" whenever needed.



She was an avid baker--her pies were amazing!--and was always canning and preserving the things that she and Dad grew in their garden. Vivian loved to read and had a large library of books that she loved to share. She was passionate about serving others, including small things like regularly giving blood because she believed that it was her duty to share with others something she had plenty of.

Vivian met William Grant Rogers in 1953 in Palmyra, New York, while he was in Boot Camp, and she met up with him again at Brigham Young University, years later. They were married on September 4, 1958 in Mesa, Arizona. Together they raised three children: LeAnne Rogers Trask (Terry Trask), Lynne Rogers Rochelle (Patrick Rochelle), and William Willis Rogers (Jeremy Cornforth). They also raised a foster child named Marty Lee Sammons.

Vivian is survived by her three children, her sister, Loretta Oglethorpe Divis, and her brothers Al Oglethorpe (Cathi Oglethorpe), Ted Robison (Benita Robison), and Ben Robison (Lyndoll Robison), and six grandchildren: Benjamin Michael Trask (Nikki Hazen Trask), Zachary Rogers Trask, Matthew Joseph Trask, Karter Faith Rochelle, Jordan Tyler Rogers, and Maren Hope Rochelle. She will be missed by a large number of extended family and friends. Vivian was proceeded in death by her beloved husband in December of 2020, as well as her parents, Joseph and Wilmirth Willis, and by six older sisters, and three brothers.

Vivian was a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout her life, and served two full-time missions for the LDS Church, one to Thessaloniki, Greece and one to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Due to COVID-19 concerns, Vivian's funeral will be announced at a later date.