DODDS elementary school
teacher
is mourned in South Korea, Germany
By Jim Lea and Marni McEntee, Stars and Stripes
Teachers and students from
South Korea and Germany are mourning the death of an elementary school teacher.
Most of the 100 people who
attended a memorial service in South Korea last week for Osan American Elementary School
teacher Janyce Rogers had known her less than a year, but many said they will remember her
infectious smile, positive attitude and devotion to her fourth-grade students.
"She really was a
special person," said Dr. Suzanne O’Shea, OAES principal. "She talked about
her students all the time and was so proud of their accomplishments. I will especially
miss her wonderful smile. There were many days when that smile made a great difference to
me."
Rogers died April 7 at age
59.
She joined the Department
of Defense Dependents School system in 1973 and taught for 27 years at Bitburg Elementary
School in Germany before transferring to Osan last August.
Rogers knew the recipe for
a full life, friends in Germany said Monday.
"She had the most
gorgeous smile. She had a great sense of humor," said Melinda Lowder, a kindergarten
teacher who was Rogers’ friend for nine years when the two worked together at the
Bitburg school.
A small group gathered at
a memorial service Friday at the Eiffel West chapel in Bitburg, Lowder said.
Rogers suffered from
asthma, which apparently complicated a bout with pneumonia that lead to her death, Lowder
said. Officials at the U.S. Army Mortuary in Seoul said they still are awaiting laboratory
reports to determine the exact cause of death.
Some of Rogers’
students bid farewell to her in poems and reminiscences during the Osan service. One
little girl said, sobbing, "She was so different from other teachers. She was like my
mother. She tried to help us so much." The child sat down, overcome by emotion.
Rogers was born in New
York City and grew up in Hartford, Conn., according to OAES officials. She received her
bachelors degree in Elementary Education degree from Howard University in Washington,
D.C., and a masters degree in Elementary Education from Michigan State University. She was
a member of the Delta Sigma Theta National Sorority.
Rogers was buried in
Bloomfield, Conn. She is survived by her mother, Sally Ann McDuffie of Bloomfield, and a
sister, Judy Redmond of University Park, Ill. A scholarship fund has been established in
her name. Donations may be sent to the Janyce C. Rogers Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 479,
Bloomfield CT 06002-1108.
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