Joy E. Rogers

Joy E. Rogers, 72, of Glasgow, died Tuesday, May 28, 2013, from heart failure at the Valley View Nursing Home in Glasgow, Mont.

She was born on Feb. 7, 1941, in Wolf Point, Mont., the daughter of Lawrence and Nola (Kline) Holtberg. She was raised and attended schools in Frazer, graduating from Frazer High School. She attended Business College in Spokane and her and a friend moved to Anchorage, Alaska, where she worked at RCA.

She met Charles Rogers on a blind date and they were married six weeks later on June 27, 1963, at Elmer Air Force Base in Anchorage. He was in the Air Force, so they traveled to Salt Lake, New Mexico and then back to Alaska. After they retired from the Air Force they drove down the Alaska Canada Highway on 1,800 miles of gravel with their two children, Amber and Charlene. They settled in Glasgow and Joy opened a ceramic shop, which she operated until 1981, when they operated the Elks Dining Room for five years. They then took a much needed break to get to know their first grandchild, Brenden, in Norfolk, Va.

She and Charles spent much time in their motor home traveling up and down the East Coast. During this time, she worked as a cook. After moving back to Glasgow in 1990, she worked a variety of odd jobs until fully retiring in 1992. She took many trips to visit her two children and five grandchildren.

She was always active in her local church, was in various church circles, and donated her time and talents. She also was quite artistic and taught many classes. In fact “craft day” continued for many, many years after the ceramic shop closed. Activities included ceramics, pottery, stained glass and painting projects. She also loved to bring lots of goodies to the numerous family events. In addition she loved to decorate her house and loved pretty objects, all kinds of jewelry, clothes, purses and shoes!

She was preceded in death by two sisters, Carol Nichols and Barbara Berge, and a brother, Dexter Holtberg.

Survivors include her husband, Charles Rogers of Glasgow; daughters, Amber Loree Rogers of Missoula, and Charlene Joy Rogers of Waukesha, Wis.; five grandchildren, Brenden Charles Hierro, Alek Hierro, Aidan Philip McMahon, Paul Eliot McMahon, and Kate Alexandra McMahon; and a sister, Mary Sue Knodel, of Glasgow.

Funeral services were held Saturday, June 1, at 3 p.m. at the First Lutheran Church in Glasgow, followed by interment in the Frazer Cemetery.

Bell Mortuary of Glasgow was in charge of arrangements.