Obituary of Ruth Rogers ( nee Prager)

Ruthie Rogers, 93, of Waukesha, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 at Heritage Court in Waukesha.  She was born on the family farm on Northview Road in Waukesha on Aug. 10, 1928 to John and Louise Prager (nee Priefer) - the youngest of five children. 

Ruthie graduated from Waukesha High School in 1946. She met the love of her life, Francis Rogers, at Waukesha Beach when her brother dropped her off with her friend and failed to return to pick them up. Ruthie and Francis were married in 1949. Francis built their home on Meadowbrook Road in Waukesha.  There they happily spent their entire 71 years of marriage. They raised three daughters (Donna, Joyce and Kathy) and thousands of irises!  Ruthie was a wonderful, loving mother and grandmother and great-grandmother, and she had an amazing sense of humor right up to the end.

Ruthie was a homemaker for most of her life.  She gardened, canned fruits and vegetables, and hung their laundry on the line to dry.  Ruthie was a very hard worker!  She sewed, embroidered, crocheted, painted with acrylics, and worked with Francis on many other craft projects.  When her youngest daughter was in middle school, she went back to work as an elementary school reading aide for the next 22 years. Ruthie and Francis were charter members of Zion Presbyterian Church (later renamed Faith Springs Presbyterian Church).  She was a ruling elder, financial secretary, a Sunday school teacher, and organized many craft work-days, bazaars and church events. Ruthie was also very active in 4-H.  She was a 4-Her as a child and so were all three of her girls. She led many projects as her girls grew up.  The last of which was basket weaving.  She continued to lead long after her children were grown and out of 4-H.

One of Ruthie’s greatest joys was raising irises with her husband.  They received their first plants as a wedding gift in 1949.  From there, their love of irises “blossomed”!  They eventually began to hybridize and created almost 100 new varieties that were (and still are) in gardens all over the United States.  Their annual iris sale was well known and Ruthie worked tirelessly to make the events run smoothly.

They began yearly travel adventures to visit other prestigious iris gardens throughout the U.S.  Their garden on Meadowbrook Road was featured in 2010 when the American Iris Society held their convention in Wisconsin. Their gardens were also enjoyed by thousands of people who visited or simply reveled as they drove by.

Ruthie  will be deeply missed by her loving daughters Donna Rogers of Land O’Lakes, FL, Joyce Wilcox (Chuck) and Kathy Schroeder (Mark) of Waukesha, grandchildren Wynne, Katie, Jessie, Ellen and Jim, great-grandchildren Rhett, Tessa, Ali, Davy, Everly, Brielle and Ryker, along with many other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, her siblings Janet Maier, Edgar, Clarence and Robert Prager, and her son-in-law Chuck Wilcox.

A visitation will be held on Sunday, Apr. 24, from 1:30–3:00 p.m., at Faith Springs Presbyterian Church, N13 W28771 Silvernail Rd., Pewaukee, WI 53072, followed by a memorial service at 3:00 p.m.  A virtual option for the service will be available on Faith Springs’ page at https://www.facebook.com/faithspringspres .  You can watch live or at your convenience later.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Faith Springs Presbyterian Church or a charity of your choice.

A special thanks to the VITAS Hospice staff (especially Tammy, Kristy, Jeremy and Amy) and the entire staff at Heritage Court in Waukesha.  You all treated Ruthie (and us) like family. We are forever grateful.

Cesarz, Charapata & Zinnecker Funeral Home is serving the family.  For online obituary or to leave a condolence please visit www.WaukeshasFuneralHome.com.