William "Bill" Franklin Rodgers Jr.'s Obituary
William Franklin Rodgers, Jr. “Bill” was born on September 7, 1954, in Memphis, Tennessee, passing away on August 10, 2023, after years of battling an early onset of Alzheimer’s with the care of his loving wife and son.
Bill is survived by his devoted wife, Carolyn Rodgers, his son Wood Rodgers and daughter-in-law Caroline Rodgers. He was predeceased by his father, William Franklin Rodgers Sr., his mother, Nancy Carolyn Fitzgerald Rodgers, and his brother, Jeffrey Marks Rodgers.
Bill was a graduate of the University of Memphis, where he earned a degree in electrical engineering with honors. For most of his life, he held a long career of innovation in the elevator industry as a software engineer. Beyond his professional pursuits, Bill was highly artistic. He was an avid collector of books, a lover of technology, a writer when inspired, with a lifelong passionate talent for capturing still-life and people with his photos. He won awards for his film photography and calligraphy, with his photos featured in magazines. He had a particular fondness for photography and found solace and creativity through his lens which was passed on to his son.
A life lived active in the church community, Bill and his family were dedicated members of Second Presbyterian Church in Memphis and regularly attended the Saturday night “Altar Service” at Christ Church Memphis. For many years, he was also devoted to the audio team and “tape ministry” at First Evangelical church. He embraced the values of faith, community, and service, contributing his time and spirit to ecumenical endeavors across various church memberships in his life. He was involved not just with his friends, but also cared about the daily lives and needs of his acquaintances from all walks of life. He regarded his fellow Memphians as equals and was genuinely interested in the story of all those he met.
A memorial service celebrating Bill’s life will be held in the chapel at Second Presbyterian Church, where he was married to Carolyn in 1989. The service is Saturday, August 19th, at 10:30 A.M., in the Second Presbyterian Chapel with reception to follow in the Salmon Room. Attendees for the service can park in the west parking lot. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to Creative Life Preparatory School 1222 Riverside Blvd. Memphis, TN 38106 in his memory.
His son Wood will continue to digitize and share Bill’s film photography on Instagram @billrodgersphotography
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