Rodgers, Ragan
Ragan Rodgers, 70, of 5025 Sunset View died Friday, June 26, 2015, in his home.He was born on November 3, 1944, in Pelahatchie Mississippi, son of Thomas Marvin and Frances Ragan Rodgers. On February 28, 1970, he married Jo Anne Wallace in Fort Worth, Texas. She survives.Funeral services have been set for Monday, June 29, 2015, at 11 a.m. at First Methodist Church of Paris with the Rev. Rob Spencer and the Rev. Bill Coleman officiating. The family will receive friends from 10 until 11 a.m. on Monday at the church. Interment will follow on a later date at Greenmount Cemetery in Quincy, Illinois.He was a graduate of McComb High School (McComb, Miss.) and Millsaps College (Jackson, Miss.). As well, he received his Masters of Science from Virginia Tech University and his Masters of Business Administration from Lynchburg College (Lynchburg, Va.). Ragan began his professional career at General Dynamics in Fort Worth, Tex., as a statistician in Quality Control. In 1971, he went to work for the Babcock and Wilcox Company and spent 40 years with the company in various positions. He started as a Senior Statistician in quality control in Lynchburg, Va., at BW’s Naval Nuclear Fuel Division, worked as a financial analyst in New Orleans, La., at McDermott, the parent company’s headquarters, served as plant controller in BW’s Fossil Fuel plant in Paris, Tex., served as a controller at BW’s central office in Barberton, Ohio, returned to Lynchburg serving as division controller at the Naval Nuclear Division and concluded his career in Amarillo, Tex., as the CFO for BW’s management of the Pantex government facility.Ragan was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Paris and the Paris Golf and Country Club. He was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order. He was a sponsor for a company for Junior Achievement for several years in Lynchburg. He served for eight years as a board member of the United Way of Central Virginia serving as Treasurer for six years. He was a member of the board of the Red Cross of Central Virginia for two years. Ragan served on the board of directors of the High Plains Food Bank in Amarillo for six years, serving both as Treasurer and Investment Committee Chairman. He was a regular volunteer for Habitat for Humanity in Lynchburg and for the Downtown Food Pantry in Paris. For most of his life he was a member of a Methodist Church serving in different churches as Finance Chairman, on the Board of Trustees, the Administrative Boards, and Capital Campaign Committee. Jo Anne and he served on the first Board of Directors for the Paris Young Life and attended camp at Frontier Ranch in Colorado.Ragan was a gentleman to all and a loving husband, father and grandfather. He was a hard worker and leader in the office and in the community, always willing to lend a hand or support a cause. Because of job transfers, Ragan and Jo Anne had the opportunity to live in several cities over the years and made many lifelong friendships along the way. Ragan was able to enjoy traveling with Jo Anne throughout the United States and Europe, but above all he enjoyed spending time with his five grandchildren at the beach and attending their ball games, horse riding events, and school activities. He enjoyed playing golf with Jo Anne and friends and after retirement took up photography which became his favorite hobby. He was an avid sports fan always supporting the local teams but never straying far from his two favorite teams, the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Dallas Cowboys.In addition to his wife, survivors include a sister, Laura Rodgers Ray and her husband, Carl, from Summit, Miss.; a son, Thomas Wallace Rodgers, and his wife, Laura, of Des Moines, Iowa; three granddaughters, Elizabeth Eaton, Katherine Collins, and Noma Jane Rodgers of Des Moines; a daughter, Katherine Rodgers Fagan and her husband, Paul, of Dallas, Tex.; two grandsons, Jackson Paul and Wilson Thomas Fagan of Dallas; and a sister-in-law, Karen Rodgers Meadows. Additionally surviving are a nephew, Kevin Carl Ray of Winter Haven, Fla.; three nieces, Fran Ray Smith of Winter Haven Fla., Beth Rodgers Blythe of Butte, Mont., and Carolyn Rodgers Liftin of Wheaton, Ill.He was preceded in death by his parents; and brother, Thomas Marvin Rodgers Jr.; and his father and mother-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. L.L. Wallace.Memorials may be made to the First United Methodist Church of Paris Capital Campaign, Downtown Food Pantry of Paris Texas, The American Cancer Society, or the charity of your choice.Pallbearers will be Tom Evans, Kevin Ray, Dennis Cashman, Gene Smith, Gary Nash and Paul Stuart. Honorary pallbearers will be Earl Bellamy, Winfred Nash, John Velky, Wayne Trent, Dennis Flechtner, Frank Ray and Larry Davis.Online condolences may be sent to the Rodgers family at www.fry-gibbs.com
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