BUMPED and UPDATED: Mike called to give an update – There will be a viewing time on Friday 11th from 2pm – 6pm with a short service following that at the Rochette funeral home in Nashua. On Saturday the 12th, there will be a party to Celebrate the life of Mar-Mar Rogers at Alpine Grove in Hollis from 2-5pm, “because nothing else would do” – said the stand-in Party Animal (Mike, standing in for Mar-Mar’s self-description). A time to be joyful – not a dirge. There is a limit of about 100 people possible so pls either leave a note in the Comments section or email Mike@GraniteGrok.com
I am sad to report that Mar-Mar Rogers has passed away. Mike, her husband of five decades, has asked that I make this announcement to the greater GraniteGrok community.
He called me yesterday a little after 1pm to share the news. They were at the hospital where Mar-Mar was ready to undergo surgery for yet another fix to her kidney dialysis stent.
She was talking with them as they were prepping her for anesthesia but then suddenly stopped. Resuscitation efforts immediately ensued but were unable to bring her back; they believe that the right side of her heart simply gave out.
Many of you know that she has been in ill health for quite some time yet still tried to keep up her social life far beyond what many of us considered possible. She was always upbeat until the very end and still entertained flocks of people at her and Mike’s home. Proud of her British heritage, she was fiercely American in spirit – while never becoming a naturalized citizen, I always found her willing to defend, talk, and advocate for traditional American values. She loved this country with all of her heart and soul – in my opinion, she felt more at home here than back in England.
Mike, her family, her friends. Freedom, Liberty. Those were her Priorities and her Principles. The highest compliment I can give is this: Consistent.
Mike is in the process of making the appropriate arrangements and will be forwarding them to me to share with you all: viewing hours, a service, and then “…that there will be a party at Alpine Grove…because nothing else would do”. Standby for dates and times.
The image at the top of the post is my personal note. I have known Mar-Mar since shortly after I went solo with GraniteGrok and then started to add folks as blogging was turning from being a solo affair to group blogs (and later to corporate ones but I never wanted to go there). Mike’s first post was 2/14/11 – I met Mar-Mar shortly afterward and TMEW and I became part of her family as Mike become a Grokster.
Both TMEW and I will miss her dearly not just for the friendship she had extended to us. When the Grandson came into our lives, we saw an outpouring of love and kindness from her to this babe bereft of parents. She stood up and made it clear that because we couldn’t be both his grandparents (at first, de facto and later, de jure) parents, SHE was going to be his “Fairy Godmother” and there was nothing we could do about it. We look at each other in amazement – Wha? That was her proclamation and she stood firm by that little boy.
She just took charge for the next five years and her love was returned by the Grandson and a bond grew between them that perplexed the both of us (in a good way – we just didn’t or couldn’t understand it – but Mar-Mar and the Grandson certainly did). I can’t explain it and neither could TMEW – it just “was”.
As her health declined, she had told us on a number of occasions that this bond kept her going, That said, I don’t think she ever fully realized the impact she had on him as well, that very special bond the two of them shared with and for each other. Any time Mar-Mar wanted to see him, we did our best to get him down there to keep that bond strong.
That picture, taken last year, sums it up completely. She will be sorely missed.
I will keep you all updated as I find out more.