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James Garner Rodgers, a resident of Albuquerque since 1949, died June 28, 2009 while visiting family in California. He was born October 22, 1930 on a farm near Mena, Arkansas. His childhood home was near Carlsbad, New Mexico, and he moved to Albuquerque to attend the University of New Mexico, where he graduated with a B.A. and then an M.A. degree in education. It was at UNM where he met his wife, Patsy Burke Rodgers. They married in 1950. He began his long career in education as a classroom teacher in 1952, and also taught night school courses for newly arrived immigrants. He was an elementary school principal for two years, served as president of the New Mexico Education Association, and was executive secretary of the Albuquerque Classroom Teachers Association. He then returned to his first love in teaching, the elementary school classroom. His career in education in Albuquerque spanned 35 years. After Jim and Pat's retirement from teaching in 1987, they enjoyed traveling, and were able to visit all of the continents except Antarctica. Jim also spent his adult life deeply involved in church activities. At UNM he was a music team leader at the Baptist Student Union, and later served as music director at Edith Street Baptist Church and then Parkview Baptist Church. For the past 37 years he has been active in many aspects of Del Norte Baptist Church activities. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Pat; children Karen Grosskopf and her husband, Jack, of Austin, Texas; Dr. Kevin Rodgers and his wife, Dr. Anne Geroski, of Burlington, Vermont; and Kayla Calkins and her husband, Don, of Laguna Niguel, California. He was predeceased by his daughter Kathy Hauser in 2005. Jim was very proud of and greatly enjoyed the company of his nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. As he was a teacher in life, he will continue to help educate medical students at the University of California, Irvine through the donation of his remains to their willed body program. A Memorial Service will be held at Del Norte Baptist Church, 5800 Montgomery Blvd. NE on Friday, July 3, 2009 at 2 p.m. For those who wish to do so, donations in Jim's name can be made to the Scholarship Fund of Del Norte Baptist Church.
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