Verna D. Rogier

(1910-2005)

Mrs. Verna D. Rogier, 95, of 122 North Menard St. Mason City, died at 7:40 p.m. Tuesday, April 26 2005 at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital, Lincoln, Illinois, following a brief illness.

Mrs. Rogier was born 11 January 1910, in Passaic, New Jersey, the daughter of Howard Smith and Floyce Dillingham Smith. She married Jean F. Rogier at Darien, Connecticut on 12 June 1937.

Mrs. Rogier graduated from Clifton, New Jersey High School in June 1928 and received a degree of Bachelor of Nursing from the Yale University School of Nursing in 1933.  Following graduation from Nursing School, she was employed by the New Haven Hospital from 1933-1934, served as Superintendent of Nursing at the Hall-Brooke Sanitarium, Green Farms, Connecticut from 1935 to 1937, and worked with the University Health Services at the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio from 1937 to 1938.

Joining her husband, Dr. Jean F. Rogier in his career as a public health officer with the Foreign Service of the United States Government, she spent the next thirty years living abroad.  For her work as a Public Health Nurse with the Institute of Inter-American Affairs during 1943-1944, she was a recipient of a War Service Certificate from the Office of the Coordinator, Nelson A Rockefeller.  Following Dr. Rogier's retirement, the couple spent the next thirty years living between Washington, D.C., Mason City, Illinois and Yorba Linda, California. 

Surviving are a daughter, Suzanne J. Lowers of Easton, IL, son Robert H. Rogier of Windhoek, Namibia, and 4 grandchildren.

Funeral services were held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, 30 April 2005 at the Hurley Funeral Home, Mason City, Illinois, the Rev. Randy Paine officiating. Memorial Contributions may be made to the Mason City Area Nursing Home.