Rogers, Carolyn

Comments by Sandra Collins

Losing Carolyn Rodgers was like losing Otter Creek’s computer hard drive. Carolyn could recall every person and every event in Otter Creek history during her years there. While I have been struggling to find information on all the deceased in this list, I know that a phone call to Carolyn would have filled all the gaps. And if for some reason she couldn’t recall, she had a paper copy filed away in one of her many file cabinets. She was a treasure trove of information about Lipscomb, about her amazing father, and about innumerable other people with whom she had come into contact..

Because of narcolepsy and other illnesses, she was unable to drive or hold a permanent job. But she busied herself in other activities: baptismal records done in her own calligraphy and given to families she knew; hand towels monogrammed on her sewing machine with the names of babies born to families she loved. She had a cadre of helpers whom she could call for doctors’ appointments, trips to Birmingham, Scrabble games, church, classes, and special luncheons on her birthday at Puffy Muffin.

Because the other members of the family died first, she had all sorts of wonderful information to put into their programs.