Campbell Rogers

Campbell Whitenack Rogers, of Albemarle, NC died suddenly on December 16, 2019 at Atrium Stanly Hospital, surrounded by her loving family. Her death was caused by injuries from a fall in the home early that morning.

Cam was born Rebecca Campbell Whitenack on December 11, 1947 in Espanola, New Mexico, to Rebecca Campbell and Frank Harold Whitenack. Cam’s mother, Rebecca, grew up in Fayetteville, NC, and lived there when she met Cam’s dad, “Whitey,” who was serving as a pilot in the US Army Air Corps during WW II. They were married shortly after the war; and Whitey, who was from the western United States, moved his bride and subsequent family first to New Mexico and then to California. Her father died in a private plane crash when Cam was two and her brother, Skip, was three. Family members helped the young family move back to Fayetteville, and Cam’s mother Rebecca entered graduate school at UNC to find a way to support her family. She moved her family to Burlington, NC in 1958 to become Director of Child Services for Alamance County.

Cam attended more than five grade schools before finally settling in Burlington. As a result, Cam never met a stranger. She lit up every room she walked into. While in Burlington, she met the love of her life, Marshall Rogers. Cam would go to Marshall’s house most days after school and under the tutelage of Miss Trudy, Marshall’s mother, she learned to be an amazing cook.

She graduated from Walter Williams High School in 1966 and attended Queens College in Charlotte, NC. She and Marshall married in 1969 and enjoyed a special and wonderful marriage that included homes in Raleigh, NC, New York, NY and Albemarle, NC, where they have been for the last 44 years.

She was an avid snow skier and loved to travel. She and Marshall visited six continents, and would often start planning their next trip as soon as they returned home. She loved the beach, particularly after she and Marshall built a house in 1983 on Figure Eight Island on the North Carolina coast. When not on an airplane or in an exotic locale, you could usually find Cam in a beach chair with good book in front of their house, and a basset hound by her side.

While an accomplished community volunteer for most of her life, she had an incredible eye for decorating. She worked for a number of years as an interior designer with Gail Brinn Wilkins of Charlotte. But Cam’s true calling was that of being a wife, mother and grandmother. Known as Big Mama to her grandchildren, her collective pride and joy, she cherished her time with them. Whether she had them on a stool making cookies in the kitchen in a cloud of flour, riding bikes at Figure 8, or serving up ice cream sundaes for breakfast, all five of her grandchildren knew they were loved and adored by an incredible woman.

A spectacular beauty, she was even more beautiful on the inside. She was the kindest, most loving, affectionate woman you could meet, with an incredible sense of humor. You could hear her laugh from three aisles away in the grocery store. Cam had an incredible ability to “see” everyone around her. Whether it was complimenting the nail color of the check out girl in the Harris Teeter, a new hairstyle on a waitress, or congratulating the dry cleaner on his son getting into college, she left a wake of kindness everywhere she went.

Cam made an enormous impact on Stanly County. She was instrumental in starting the Cheers to Charity annual breakfast that has raised over $200,000. She was an early organizer of the Community Christmas Dinner, and spent every Christmas morning with her family serving meals to the homeless. She worked tirelessly for Habitat for Humanity with a smile on her face, dragging her children behind her. Cam’s eye for decorating led her, while she was serving as a deacon, to spearhead the restoration of the sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church in the mid-90s, a project that has not only stood the test of time, but remains a beautiful and welcoming place of worship. Cam was a bright light in every way. She inspired so many with her sunny disposition, her electric smile and her “just plain old goodness.” She will be sorely missed.

She was predeceased by her mother, father and brother, Frank Harold “Skip” Whitenack, Jr.

She is survived by her loving husband of 50 years, Marshall Calvin Rogers; son Marshall Calvin Rogers, Jr. (Shannon), of Spartanburg, SC; daughter Katherine Rogers Taylor of Charlotte, VT, and five adored grandchildren: Marshall Calvin Rogers, III, Elizabeth Campbell Rogers, Trudy Roper Rogers, Charles Rogers Taylor, George Campbell Taylor, and many beloved cousins, nieces and nephews.

There will be a memorial service to honor Cam’s life on January 3, 2020 at 2 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church Albemarle, with a reception immediately following the service. There will be a visitation the evening before, on January 2 at 5 p.m. at The Roger Martin Gallery at 260 East Main Street in Albemarle.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the First Presbyterian Church Memorial Fund (P.O. Box 1578; 126 West North Street, Albemarle, NC 28002) or to the Frank Harold “Skip” Whitenack Scholarship, a fund named for Cam’s brother that helps a Walter Williams High School student/athlete attend college (c/o Foundation for the Carolinas, 220 North Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28202. Checks should be made out to “FFTC” and memo “Whitenack Fund”).

Hartsell Funeral Home of Albemarle is serving the Rogers family. Online condolences may be made at www.hartsellfh.com