Betty RogeRs Cole
1920-2015
Betty Thomas Rogers Cole, lovingly called Mema, 94, of Houston, Texas passed away Friday, the 1st of May 2015.
Betty was born the 20th of December 1920 in Los Angeles, California to Frederick T. Thomas and Effie Miller Thomas. During the years her father was in the theater business, Betty and her parents lived in many places around the country. This exposure to the theater shaped Betty in many ways and left lasting memories she cherished throughout her life. Eventually, they settled in Parkersburg, West Virginia where she attended Parkersburg High School. After high school, she attended Marietta College for two years before starting a job at South Penn Oil Co. While working there, Betty met and fell in love with Doug Rogers, her future husband. Over the course of the next several years, Betty and Doug had two children, Reginald Douglas Rogers, III (Rex) and Patricia Louise Rogers (Patty). Her children were truly her pride and joy. Throughout their marriage, Betty and Doug lived in several different places, including Pittsburgh and Bradford, Pennsylvania, before making their home in Houston. While living in Pennsylvania, Betty and Doug enjoyed spending time driving through the hills with their family. While living in Houston, Betty was actively involved in volunteering through the Junior League of Houston until she retained status as a sustainer. Betty’s first love, Doug, passed away in 1980. Much to her surprise, shortly after losing her first husband, she met Eugene Cole, who she eventually married. Betty and Gene were happily married until his passing in December 2014.
Betty was always armed with lipstick and pearls-no matter the situation or circumstance. She was full of life, and this joy was infectious to those around her. Betty discovered her love of travel through her first husband, Doug, and this passion for seeing the world lasted her entire life. Betty and her second husband, Gene, enjoyed their lives together traveling around the world, enjoying weekends with their friends around the “round table” at their house on Lake Conroe, and spending as much time as possible with family. Throughout her life, she always enjoyed meeting and getting to know new people. Mema was beloved by her children, Rex and Patty, her grandsons, Jeff and Buck, and her great-granddaughter Maddy. The joy her children, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren brought her reflected in her eyes each and every time she was around them. There is no way to ever fill the void Mema’s absence will have in their lives, but they know she is now dancing away with her loved ones who passed before her.
Betty was preceded in death by her first husband, Reginald Douglas Rogers, Jr.; second husband, Eugene Bailey Cole; and her son, Reginald Douglas Rogers, III. She is survived by her daughter, Patricia Rogers Svadlenak and son-inlaw, Wayne Svadlenak of Houston; her grandson, Jeffrey Svadlenak and his wife, Elizabeth Svadlenak of Dallas, Texas; her grandson, Reginald “Buck” Douglas Rogers, IV of Arvada, Colorado; and her greatgranddaughters, Madelyn and Manning Svadlenak both of Dallas, Texas.
The memorial service will be conducted at eleven o’clock in the morning on Friday, the 8th of May in the Jasek Chapel of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive, in Houston with Pastor Karl Tewold officiating. Prior to the memorial service, the family will have gathered for an entombment service at Forest Park Westheimer Mausoleum. Friends are cordially invited to a reception to be held immediately following the memorial service in the grand foyer of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons.
The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone at Vosswood Nursing Center for their warm and loving care of Betty over the past eight months. In honor of Betty’s life and in lieu of the customary remembrances, the family requests memorial donations are to be directed to the National Humane Society.