Obituary of Sue Ann Rodgers

Sue Ann Hoogkamp Rodgers died at her home in Silver Spring, Md., on Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Born on March 15, 1934, she grew up in East Greenbush, N.Y., and graduated from the Academy of the Holy Names in Albany. She earned a bachelor's degree from the New York State College for Teachers (NYSCT) and a master’s degree from the College of Saint Rose. At NYSCT, she was a member of the Chi Sigma Theta sorority and was selected for the Albany Tulip Queen’s Court in 1953. She was a lifelong member of the Church of the Holy Spirit in East Greenbush and a member of the Altar Rosary Society there. A longtime resident of North Greenbush, she also took pride in her parents’ work in the 1940s and '50s as postmasters of the East Greenbush post office, which was located on the ground floor of the house where they lived. 

Beginning in the mid-1950s when the school was new, she taught second grade at Green Meadow Elementary for over 10 years. She then focused on taking care of her parents and children for several years. She continued her work as a passionate and creative educator by volunteering as a tutor at Bell Top School, teaching piano to her daughters, teaching religious education at Holy Spirit, and co-leading the Sisters' Prayer Group for about 10 years, continuing a program that was founded by the Sisters of Mary Reparatrix in East Greenbush. As a dedicated volunteer with organizations including the Holy Spirit Social Concerns/Social Justice Committee, Conserns-U, and Circles of Mercy, she supported numerous projects in the 1990s and 2000s that served people in need of food, clothing, home visits, and other forms of sustenance and care. She was also an accomplished pianist, a gardener with vast knowledge of flowers, a cook and baker, a knitter, and a collector of fabrics with a keen feel for fashion and sewing. 

She is survived by her daughters, Kerry Ellen and Tara Sue, of Silver Spring, Md. She was predeceased by her husband of 58 years, Francis W. Rodgers, and her parents Henry J. and Ellen W. Hoogkamp. She was a deeply devoted wife, mother, and daughter, and also cherished and was loved by family dogs throughout her life. She touched countless lives in the communities where she lived and worked; she will be greatly missed. She will be remembered for her strong faith, her sense of calm, her abundance of kindness, and her quiet and unassuming ways of bringing comfort and joy to everyday interactions by making others feel valued and encouraged. 

Visiting hours will be on Tuesday, April 23, 2-4 and 7-9 p.m., at Collins Funeral Home, 500 University Blvd W, Silver Spring, Md. A funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, April 27, 9:30 a.m., at Church of the Holy Spirit, 667 Columbia Turnpike, East Greenbush, with burial immediately following in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Rensselaer. All services are open to the public. 

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to: Circles of Mercy (http://www.circlesofmercy.org), a center in Rensselaer, N.Y. that supports women and women with children who are fighting poverty; So Others Might Eat (https://www.some.org), which supports D.C. residents experiencing poverty and homelessness; and Vision to Learn (https://visiontolearn.org/donate), which provides eye exams and glasses to students in low-income communities, including in Maryland.