Dixie Joan Rogers (Joan)
November 1, 1940 - April 30, 2024
Joan Rogers passed away on April 30, 2024. She was born in Lewiston, Utah on November 1, 1940 to Floyd and Wilma Jenne of Boulder City. Floyd served as a ranger at Hoover Dam and Joan was very proud to call Boulder City her home town. She attended Utah State University in Logan where she met and married Dalan Smith. They had two children, Carolyn (Smith) Barton and Chris Smith. They later divorced, and Joan returned to her home town.
In 1989 she married Elton "Skee" Rogers. They enjoyed dancing, movies, and dining. He preceded her in death in 1995. Joan began working for State Farm Insurance in 1973 and retired from her career there in March of this year. She loved spending time with her children and grandchildren, planning family trips, and catching up with friends.
Joan is survived by her children Carolyn (Smith) Barton (spouse Tucker Barton) of Bend, OR, and Chris Smith (spouse Lisa Smith) of Medford, OR; grandchildren Karis and Reese Barton, Alex Smith, Ashley Cartwright, and Hope Smith; and great grandchildren Rhett Cartwright and Ava Smith.
A service will be held at the LDS chapel at 916 5th Street in Boulder City, on May 11 at 11:00 a.m. All are welcome. She will be laid to rest on May 13 at the Boulder City Veterans Cemetery.
Jimmy Widner (1958)
To Joan;s friends .. I am sorry I missed this obit and did not send earlier .. Joan was such a part of BC what with Teresa Dennings St. Farm agency and her Dads part in the growth of BC. ..
Be sure and click on "View Profile " tab above for some great history and great pics of Joan and her family. jw
Penny Lappin (Lester) (1964)
So sorry to hear about Joan. My family lived next door and Joan was my babysitter. Joan, Rickey and Nancy were a big part of my childhood. Penny Lappin Lester
Karen Rosenbaum (McClinton) (1958)
Despite tender memories of our pasts, most of us raised in Boulder City left. Sometimes our families moved, like mine (after I finished sixth grade). More often, after folks went away to college or to work, they settled in Las Vegas or southern California, where there were more job options. Nostalgia doesn’t pay the bills—or keep the brain cells stimulated.
But a few stayed or returned. Joan was one of those few.
Our parents had been friends, but that wasn’t surprising. It seemed to me that my parents were friends with almost all the adults in Boulder City. But this friendship accounted for the fact that the Jennes visited us in Salt Lake, after we had moved. None of my other childhood friends’ families did that. And Joan and I wrote each other letters through our teen years. And then we lost touch.
The website Jim Widner set up for BCHS alum I found online about 14 years ago. This website put me back into contact with several of my grade school friends. The friend with whom I reestablished the closest ties was Joan.
She would send me pictures of her children and grandchildren. In 2012, her daughter’s family lived in Boulder City, so not only Joan’s own kids, but also two grandkids graduated from the same schools Joan did.
Joan’s and my meaningful email correspondence only lasted five or six years, but it was lovely to have a friend who would send me pictures of Boulder City buildings I could remember—including the small, white wooden Mormon church that we both had attended—and who could answer some of my questions about places and people in our past. It takes effort to keep up connections, and I’m sorry I didn’t send her more letters or emails. The obituary that Jim posted didn’t indicate the cause of death, but I guess she had pretty good health until close to the end, and I hope she left this life with peace and grace. She seemed to me a peaceful, gracious person, and I am grateful for the part she played in my life.
Karen Rosenbaum