Virginia Rogers

Virginia “Ginger” Louise Rogers, 90, died December 16, 2021 at her residence in Buhl, Idaho.

She was born October 3, 1931 in Moscow, Idaho, the only child to Col. Wesley E. Calkins and Bertha M Thomson.

She lived most of her childhood in Dayton, Washington and with her best friend Mary Ann, had many adventures.  One day while out riding their bikes, they decided to take a shortcut home and cross the river on the train trestle.  Suddenly they heard a train coming!  They tossed their bikes over the side and jumped off, just in time for someone on a handcar to pass by.

She and her mother lived in Dayton with her father’s parents, while he was in Europe during WWII. After the war, as a daughter of an Army Air Corps officer, she moved often and attended schools in Dayton and Mukilteo, Washington, Dayton, Ohio, and graduated high school in Sacramento, California.

Ginger, along with best friend Mary Ann, attended one year at the University of Washington, where she met and married Dexter A. Rogers on June 3, 1950, with Mary Ann as her maid of honor. Ginger and Dexter lived in Seattle until 1961 and had 3 children.

In 1961 they moved to Dayton, Washington to family property, where Dexter went to work for the Green Giant Company and Ginger managed the home.  Since her parents had lived overseas for many years after the war, she was happy to now be living next door to them, in the town she lived in as a young child.

In Dayton, she and Dexter joined Eastern Star where Ginger served as Worthy Matron. She and Dexter were active in Eastern Star, Masonic, Rainbow and 4-H activities, and enjoyed bowling and “hanging out” with friends.

Canning in the summer with her mother and a year-long bridge game with her parents every year (boys against the girls) were other activities she enjoyed while they lived in Dayton. (We’re not sure she enjoyed the canning part.)

The family of five moved to Buhl, Idaho, in 1968, when Dex transferred with the Green Giant Company. Her husband and son always seemed to be at the golf course, so she decided if you can’t beat them, join them, and she learned to golf, too.  She joined the ladies golf association and enjoyed many trips and activities with the ladies. Ginger worked many years of corn pack at Green Giant and was a C.O.P. (Citizen on Patrol). We could just see our 5 ft. mother telling people where they can’t park during Sagebrush Days.  She became an amateur ham radio operator in 1996 and was granted her father’s call sign – W7ILJ.  She enjoyed sewing, knitting and crocheting, cross-stitch, puzzles on the computer, playing bridge with her friends, and reading.  She donated many, many books to the Buhl library.

Ginger is survived by her children, Lesley Meigs, David (Pam) Rogers, and Tracie Rogers; grandchildren, Brian and Andrea Meigs, Kristen Rogers, and Joshua and Mariah Barthlow; and great-granddaughter, Kairi Ytuarte. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dexter A. Rogers; and her parents, Col. Wesley E. Calkins and Bertha M. Thomson Calkins.

Her interment will be scheduled in the spring of 2022 next to her husband at West End Cemetery, Buhl.

Memories and condolences may be shared with the family on Ginger’s memorial webpage at www.farmerfuneralchapel.com.