Obituary of Lovell Rogers Jr.

Lovell Rogers, Jr. was born in Goodwater, Alabama on January 16, 1933. He lived with his grandmother, Maude Rogers, in Alabama until he was a teenager and they moved to New Kensington, Pennsylvania. In high school, Lovell excelled and learned to play the drums while at New Kensington High School. In September 1950, Lovell joined the U.S. Air Force, as part of his strategic life plan to have the security the military offered from his young adulthood until death. When he enlisted, he was the only African American assigned to Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas. He was part of the first wave of integrated military units ordered by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. During his term of service, he traveled to U.S. bases in Nova Scotia and Alaska during the Korean War, where he applied skills he learned as a radar operator while studying at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi. During his military years, Lovell earned a National Defense Service and a Good Conduct Medal before separating from the Air Force at Donaldson Air Force Base in Greenville, South Carolina as Airman First Class. Upon discharge from the Air Force in September 1954, Lovell moved to Washington, DC where he enrolled in Howard University's School of Engineering. There he met what would become his lifelong friend, Randolph Becton. While his friend graduated from Howard University, Lovell decided that he would rather make money as soon as possible by working for the U.S. government. His 40-year career in the federal government included working in the facilities department at the Pentagon and earning progressive promotions until he retired. During his Pentagon and, later, Job Corps facilities management tenure, Lovell dated and later married Mary Stewart Bass, who was raising three young children from a failed first marriage when they initially met. He dutifully supported the love of his life and her children. While the marriage was short-lived, Mary and Lovell remained friends, and Lovell was always considered part of the extended Stewart family. After Mary's death, Lovell remained connected to his stepchildren into adulthood. In his semi-retired years, Lovell used his handyman skills to teach and support family and friends with home repair projects. And he watched a lot of football, particularly his favorite Pittsburgh Steelers and what used to be The Washington Redskins. In his later years, he endured many illnesses and accidents only to soldier on through life. It was a life of duty and dedication to those he liked and loved. His servant leadership, duty-bound allegiance, and perseverance served him well until his time for transition came on the eve of Mother's Day this year. He was preceded in death by three sisters, Maude Ann Rogers, Norma Worthy, and Lera Buchanan. He leaves to mourn his stepchildren, Lisa Bass Cooper, Carolyn Jacobs, and Kenneth Bass and their spouses; the extended Stewart family; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and grandchildren.