Beverly Faye Merkle Rogers, age 85, passed away Saturday evening, January 13, 2024, at the Medical Lodge of Goddard, Goddard, KS.
She was born February 13, 1938, at Meade, Kansas, the daughter and only child of Chas and Hazel (Kintner) Merkle. She attended school in Meade, graduating from Meade High School in 1956. Following graduation, she attended Dodge City Community College and the Venus Beauty Academy in Wichita. Many years later, she attended and graduated Friends University, graduating with a Master’s degree in Management in 2002. She was a lifelong resident of Meade County.
She was a licensed and practicing cosmetologist for many years, running Candlelight Curl in Meade. She also waitressed at Toni’s Café and managed Hazel’s Café in Meade. However, it would always be the stocking and management of the Bar M and X7 Cattle Ranches in both Kansas and Missouri with her father that she was most passionate about. She would continue to run the cattle operation for over 20 years following her father’s passing in 1977. She loved it when those baby calves were dropping with a good mama cow taking care of them and she always hated to see them loaded out on a trailer.
She was an active member of the Meade Saddle Club during its existence and always spoke of those years as the best time of her life. She won multiple individual and team awards running barrels, poles, kegs, and relay races. She enjoyed everything outdoors that had to do with animals and their care. She was involved in Meade County 4-H as a project leader and was involved in her children’s activities in school. She particularly enjoyed and spent countless hours cobbling things together to suit her immediate purpose. She did some just amazing, some might even say unbelievable, things with baling wire, twine, hot wires, tarps, and grain sacks.
On December 23, 1967, she married William N. Rogers at Manhattan, Kansas. He preceded her in death on September 8, 2020. She was preceded in death by her parents and a daughter, Tonya Faye Rogers, on August 23, 1968. She would really want everyone to know here that she is also preceded in death by a lot of her old Saddle Club buddies, several really good horses that she was so proud of, dogs and cats, and a lot of other critters, both big and small, that she did her best to take care of.
Other survivors include a daughter Katherine (Kit) Rogers of Wichita, Kansas; two sons, Duke and Chas Rogers both of Wichita. She enjoyed spending time with family and friends, but there was usually an animal somewhere in the picture as well.
Graveside services will be held at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, January 20, 2024, at Graceland Cemetery, Meade. Friends may call from 12:00 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. with the family present at Fidler-Orme-Bachman Mortuary, Meade.
The family would welcome memorials to the Meade County Fair or the Meade Food Bank in care of the funeral home.