Luwenna Rogers

Luwenna Rogers was an accomplished woman who enjoyed the simple pleasures of life. Herself an excellent student, Luwenna placed a high value on education. She made it her career to teach students out of the vastness of her academic schooling and common sense. Together with her husband, she modeled a life of hard work, love of family, volunteerism and generosity toward others.

Born Luwenna Guidinger on September 4, 1918 in Downey, Idaho, Luwenna was named after her mother’s good friend Luwetta. She was the fifth of Edger and Margaret (Brown) Guidinger's nine children, spanning 20 years from oldest to youngest: Wenonah, Viola, Norris, Juanita, Dorothy, Luwenna, Larry, Edgar and Genevie.

Luwenna was born during a time of advancement and struggle. Women gained the right to vote and trumpeted the need for fair labor laws affecting children. As World War I raged, women were called to action at home when men answered the call to arms. Luwenna came of age during the Great Depression, but her farming family always had enough with the cows and sheep they raised, the grains and potatoes they produced, and the garden vegetables they grew.

Luwenna made her own gains already as a young child. When she was a pre-schooler, it happened that her mother had to leave for Kansas to attend her own mother's funeral, and she asked that Luwenna be allowed to go with her older siblings to school. In effect, Luwenna entered first grade at age four and excelled throughout her school years. She loved learning and eagerly attended classes, though it meant walking three miles to a one-room school building. Luwenna graduated from Downey High School in 1934 at the young age of 16.

Luwenna worked as a nanny for a few families, but she eventually went to Idaho State University for a two-year teaching degree. She became a teacher in a two- room schoolhouse in Treasureton, Idaho, not far from where she grew up.

Luwenna’s older sister, Wenonah, had married a man from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and sometimes his friends and relatives came to visit. One such person was Ira Rogers, who was quite smitten by Luwenna in their first meeting. When Wenonah’s father-in-law died, and she and her husband moved to Grand Rapids to run the family farm, it was Luwenna’s turn to visit. She and her parents took a trip to see Wenonah, and Luwenna again met up with Ira in Grand Rapids. Once Luwenna returned home, the two of them corresponded through letters and their relationship grew. Their commitment to one another was secured in marriage at the Methodist Church in Downey on December 31, 1939. They stepped into a new year with joy and promise.

After their honeymoon in Oregon, the newlyweds headed to Long Beach, California to see his aunt before making a long journey to Michigan. Ira and Luwenna were responding to his elderly father’s need for help on the family dairy farm. They made their home on Peachridge Road NW and worked hard to make the business a success. Luwenna was in charge of several hundred chickens, which she learned to dress out as well as sell their eggs. On what became a regular occasion, Luwenna sold chickens for a dinner and golf outing at Gracewil Golf Course that American Seating hosted at her church, Trinity Congregational. That was just one of the tasks that Luwenna performed on a large scale. She also helped with peach and apple farming, grew raspberries for sale, tended a large garden and canned enough produce to last through the winter.

Farm life became a real family affair when three children were born to Luwenna and Ira: daughter Merlene was born in 1940, their son Lynn in 1945, and daughter Diane in 1954. As they grew up, the kids were also busy on the farm, driving tractors and Jeeps and helping out in any way necessary. If they ever had a snow day, they weren’t exempt from doing their chores, but when everything was done, Luwenna and the kids had the best of times, doing puzzles and playing games all day. On a regular basis, the family enjoyed the wholesome goodness of Luwenna’s home-cooked meals and her favorite snack food: popcorn.

Not only was Luwenna dedicated to her family, she was also invested in her community. She and her neighbors from the Alpine/Walker area met once a month at a home and had snacks and fellowship as members of the Community Club. She and Ira volunteered with the Salvation Army, wrapping presents at Christmas time and ringing bells at red kettle donation sites. With her skills in embroidery and crochet, Luwenna made hundreds of mittens and hats for Santa Claus Girls to give away. For over 50 years that she and Ira were members of Trinity Congregational Church, Luwenna was active, whether teaching Sunday School regularly, representing the church at the Pilgrim Manor Guild, or mending clothes. She was also very involved with the Women’s Extension Club of Michigan State University, combining her teaching and farming skills for the benefit of the next generation of farmers.

In 1979, Ira and Luwenna sold their dairy cows and rented out the land. They took advantage of their free time by driving their recreation vehicle to Maryland for Christmas and staying until March. About every five years, they also took trips out West to see family, whether by plane, train or automobile. In 1983, they sold their home and purchased a condo in downtown Grand Rapids, transferring their membership to nearby Park Congregational Church. Then in 2003, Luwenna and Ira moved to Maryland to live with their daughter Diane and to be near Merlene. There in Silver Spring, Luwenna died on Saturday, December 5, 2009 at the age of 91.

Luwenna lived a long and productive life, filled with the joy of family and service to her church and community.

Mrs. Luwenna Rogers, formerly of Grand Rapids, was preceded in death by her husband, Ira; 4 sisters; 3 brothers; and son-in-law, Jim Weir. She is survived by her children, Merlene Weir, Lynn (Ruth Ann) Rogers, and Diane Rogers; grandchildren, James, Robert, and Christina Weir; great grandson, Michael Weir; sister, Genevie Allred; and sister-in-law, Margaret Guidinger. The funeral service will be held at 2 PM on Saturday December 12, 2009 at Park Congregational Church, 10 East Park Place NE. Friends may meet with the family on Saturday from noon to 2 PM at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in her memory may be made to the Salvation Army. Interment in Brooklawn Cemetery. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com to archive a memory or photo of Luwenna or to sign the guestbook.