Willa Delores (Gregory) Rogers

Willa Delores (Gregory) Rogers

Born: Oct. 17, 1933 in El Reno, OK – Died: Aug. 1, 2020 Ogden, UT

Age: 86

Willa was the daughter of Walter and Elise Gregory (Born Oct. 17, 1933); they had 7 children with their son Walter passing when he was little.  This left 6 girls with Willa being the youngest.  All of the sisters are/were active, strong women.  Willa was no different!   Willa grew up in El Reno, Oklahoma in a hard-working family.   She was proud of her Oklahoma heritage, and of being an “Okie”.    She often shared fond memories of her Dad working at the local Ice Company and her Mom caring for their small farm and cleaning houses.  She also shared stories from when she was a child doing different chores from taking care of the house, the animals, and various things outside.  An experience that stuck with her always was cutting Johnson Grass down with her Mom and sisters filling their old Ford car with it.    With Willa’s strong work ethic, she never shied away from any project or what needed to be done through her entire life.

Willa graduated from El Reno High School.  One of Willa’s first jobs was working at the movie theaters.  She often would share stories of her experiences there (The Royal, The Center, and The Rocket), she truly enjoyed this.  After high school she worked at the Hartford, the local Farm and Game, and had a variety of jobs through her life.  After moving to Utah with her husband and daughter she worked at Convergys (Nice Corp.), a place she made life-long friends and cherished connections.

Willa married Ray M. Rogers.  They had one daughter, Rayla.  Willa was an amazing Mom, and later Grandma to Taylee.  Willa “Gram or Grammy” played such a vital role in our lives – we are lucky beyond words to have had her, and we are forever grateful.  She was there for us always, in every way possible.  We admire her for so many reasons but especially for:  her strength, love for family and dedication to all she did - for her candor, humor, and spunk that made her who she was – and her many talents and the things she enjoyed doing and taking pride in. 

Willa was a terrific cook and enjoyed making meals for her family - a few family favorites:  anything BBQ, Potato Salad, Baked Beans, and Biscuits and Gravy.  She was also known affectionately as “The Peanut Brittle Queen” making thousands of batches in her lifetime.  She always sent special Brittle packages to her closest friends and family.   Her home, yard and flowers were always a point of pride for Willa, one of the best in the neighborhood every year.  She loved her dogs, reading, classical music, card making, crafting, visiting with friends,  was always active enjoying going to the gym early every morning or walking the neighborhood and the MTC Park, going to movies, and enjoyed the Oklahoma Sooners and the Utah Jazz.

Willa passed away peacefully at home with her family on Aug 1, 2020 at the age of 86.  She was preceded in death by her parents (Walter & Elsie), 3 sisters (Irene, Iona & Eula), and her husband (Ray).  She is survived by her daughter Rayla (Travis), grand-daughter Taylee, and two sisters Mabel Reynolds and Willis Loyal both in OK.  A Celebration of Life will be held for Willa Thursday Aug. 13, 2020 at the MTC Park & Botanical Gardens 1750 Monroe Blvd., Ogden, UT  84401 from 7 pm – 9 pm.  We invite you to stop by at this casual get together for friends and family.

We encourage donations to the Alzheimer’s Association to eliminate a devastating disease that robs a person of their memories, abilities and quality of life.  You can find their website at alz.org

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