Colleagues remember Rogers as 'very passionate' about Bluffton fire district

The Bluffton Township Fire District lost its longest-serving commissioner Friday with the death of Bob Rogers.

Rogers, 82, was the vice chairman on the district's seven-member board of directors, which oversees the administrative side of the fire district. He had also served as chairman.

Capt. Randy Hunter said Tuesday that Rogers was "very passionate about the district."

"It's going to be tough not seeing his face at the meetings anymore," he said.

Born in New York, Rogers joined the fire district as a volunteer in 1995 when he moved to greater Bluffton from the Washington area, according the district's website.

Mike Cahill, who spent 20 years as the district's chief before retiring in 2005, said Rogers also worked as a volunteer firefighter in Maryland before moving to the area.

"He was an outstanding gentleman and always dedicated to fire service," Cahill said.

A retired U.S. Army major, Rogers was appointed to the fire district's board in 1998.

Fire Chief John Thompson said during his tenure as commissioner, Rogers was responsible for encouraging community engagement and more diversity within the district.

"(Rogers) genuinely cared about people and the community itself," he said. "He's going to be missed."

Thompson said that while he does not know the cause of Rogers' death, "it was very sudden and unexpected."

Jim Fitzgerald, a friend of Rogers' for 15 years, said he spoke with Rogers last week, and "he seemed very sharp in our conversation."

"We were talking about his ideas to improve (the fire district)," he said. "... (Rogers' death) was a real shocker."

Memorial services will be at noon Friday at the Church of the Cross in Bluffton.

Follow reporter Lucas High on Twitter on twitter.com/IPBG_Lucas.

This story was originally published November 24, 2015 at 4:36 PM with the headline "Colleagues remember Rogers as 'very passionate' about Bluffton fire district."