Gertrude Rogers

Gertie died on February 7, 2015, at the age of almost 94. At her request, no services will be held. If you want to help celebrate her life, have a drink. Her favorite libation was a margarita, and she loved lobster.
Born in 1921, Gertrude was raised on a cotton farm near Lubbock Texas, with 5 brothers and sisters. As soon as she finished high school, she hitched a ride with a neighbor into town and signed up for a cosmetology class to become a beautician. What started as a way to earn a living and move off the farm turned into a productive and rewarding career.
Gertie's interest in her profession led to her involvement with the New Mexico state cosmetology board, which licenses and regulates beauty shops, and she was the statewide inspector of all cosmetology establishments for a number of years. She also owned and operated her own beauty salons in Roswell. She was in great demand; she was often called upon even after death, to dress the heads of the recently departed.
Her beauty shops were a "home away from home" for women in Roswell; for her best customers, she even, clandestinely, served a free libation. She knew every dirty joke in the book and was a darn good stand up comedian. Everybody loved her wit and her giving nature.
She was the type of woman who opened her home to a series of young women who had been kicked out of their own homes and helped them get back on their feet. She was a feminist before the word was even invented.
In 1949, Gertie met and married her husband, Ray, who had been recently discharged from the US Navy. They moved to Roswell, where they lived until his death in 1978.
After Gertie sold her salons and retired, she spent more time honing her bridge and poker playing skills. She played in tournaments, earning master points, and meeting other expert bridge players. She loved the socializing, which kept her active and alert and was active in the Senior Center in Roswell. She also made turquoise and silver jewelry for her friends and family. Gertie was an active volunteer in various civic organizations, working as a volunteer for the ENMU hospital thrift shop, earning them $80,000 in one year.
Gertie loved Roswell and wanted to live here the rest of her life. She made friends easily, and always loved a party and good conversation. She loved to drink and entertain and was a Dallas Cowboy fan, but her true love was the Atlanta Braves, because they were on her cable TV. She also traveled in her car all over the US visiting the places she hadn't had a chance to before. She was an avid fisherman.
Any memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, P.O. Box 96011. Washington, DC 20090-6011. Gertie is survived by her only child, Gary Ray, and two brothers and a sister.
Condolences can be made online at www.lagronefuneralchapels.com
Arrangements are under the personal care of LaGrone Funeral Chapel.