Obituary of Anne Rogers

Anne Griffith Rogers, 88, passed away peacefully on May 13, 2026, surrounded by her family. Born on April 13, 1938, Anne was raised in Frankfort, Kentucky. As a young child, her father served as a civil engineer in France during World War II while she was cared for by her lovely mother, Gertrude Griffith. Anne made many lifelong friends in Frankfort during her childhood and later in life. She graduated from Frankfort High School in 1956 where she met her future husband, Winston Rogers. The two eloped while Anne was only 18 and Winston was attending Vanderbilt University. Winston transferred to the University of Kentucky in 1956 so they could be together while Anne was also attending UK. Between 1960 and 1968, Anne and Winston brought four sons into the world while living in Frankfort and surrounded by family and close friends. In 1969, they made a big move from Kentucky to Minnesota after Winston accepted a job with 3M Medical. A few years later in 1971, they moved again, this time to Palatine, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, after Winston accepted a new job opportunity with Raytheon Corp. All during this period of time and for many years after, Anne was very busy raising her four boys and was as devoted as a mother could be. She never missed a sporting event or school function. She was attentive, thoughtful, and caring, but wouldn’t put up with any crap. The words “what the hell” became legendary, because her four boys and their friends didn’t have cell phones or social media at that time to distract themselves from doing other things that were bad ideas. After sending her oldest three sons, David, Mark, and Scott, to college, Anne and her youngest son Todd made a move back to Frankfort in 1984. At age 46, she began working for the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission (LRC) and later was a Legislative Assistant to House Majority Whips Kenny Rapier and Joe Barrows, retiring 18 years later. She eventually bought a pontoon boat and house on the Kentucky River about a half mile down from her ex-husband Winston, who also lived on the river. Winston would call her “Annex” because she was his ex-wife and worked in the Capitol Annex building. Despite divorcing years earlier, they remained friends and Anne would attend family gatherings at Winston’s house during the holidays. She just wanted to be around her family and friends. Anne was a very good writer and story teller, and could carry on an intelligent and fun conversation with people of all generations. She also loved to watch Jeopardy and had a thing for Alex Trebek. She loved to watch golf too, and was a big fan of Tiger Woods. She inherited the love of golf from her mother, who was a big fan of Jack Nicklaus. An interesting fact she enjoyed sharing was that she was a sixth-generation descendant of Alexander Hamilton. Anne’s dry wit and silent, deadpan stares were infectious. In addition to her twisted sense of humor, she would also not hesitate to let you know how she felt about something. If she didn’t like something, she would let you know. But, at the same time, she also had a very welcoming spirit and people who really knew her thought the world of her. She was a kind person. Anne is survived by her sons David Winston Rogers (Elaine Powell), Mark Hamilton Rogers, Scott Carlton Rogers, and Stephen Todd Rogers; sister Elizabeth Griffith Taylor (Tim); grandchildren Benjamin David Rogers (Lesley), Amanda Rogers Strunk (Eugene), Winston Earl Rogers, and Lilly Bonner Rogers; and great-grandchildren Miller James Strunk, Arlo David Strunk, and Emmitt Benjamin Rogers. She was preceded in death by her parents, Austin and Gertrude Franklin Griffith, brother Andrew Hamilton Griffith, and James Winston Rogers, to whom she was married for 28 years. A funeral service will be held at Rogers Funeral Home at 2:00 pm Saturday, May 23rd with visitation beginning at 12:00 pm.