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Steve Rogers
Wherever you go ... There you are!
Steve Rogers
1938 - 1999
Dear Friends,
In late May, our dear friend, compadre, and co-author Steve Rogers was diagnosed with inoperable cancer of the bile duct. The disease was a very agressive carcinoma that had spread to Steve's liver.
Lorena and I were renting a house near Guadalajara, so I immediately flew back to the Northwest to help Steve, Tina and their daughter Churpa. Meanwhile, Lorena hastily packed up our VW van and headed north, accompanied by our friends Ken and Barbara Luboff. (The van's engine blew up in northern Mexico, but that's another story.)
The events of the following weeks are still too fresh and painful to relate in detail. In spite of every effort, and Steve's own desire to live at least a few more months, we lost him very quickly. Steve died in his cabin in Deadwood, Oregon, surrounded by loved ones, on the first day of July.
As he lay dying, Steve and I often talked about the tremendous good fortune he'd enjoyed in life -- a life filled with incredible adventures and countless friends. With typical generosity of spirit, Steve's greatest regret was that his death would inevitably bring pain to so many people.
Steve and those around him were often brought to tears by the incredible outpouring of love and support he received from his friends. There were hundreds of phone calls, emails and letters, and many of these will be collected and posted in a memorial here on this website. (It will take a while to do this, as we are all still in a state of shock and trying to get a grip.)
Steve's friends also contributed very generously, in both time and money, during his illness. A benefit dinner/dance was held in Deadwood, and a "silent auction" was hosted on a friend's website.
Tina has created a very unusual series of limited edition "icons" a truly hilarious photograph of Steve and Tina, taken by Churpa at the "Coco Loco Open" last winter in Mexico. . These also can be ordered by email from Tina Rosa.
These have been some of the most challenging days of our lives. I feel so fortunate to have shared Steve's loving friendship for over 36 years. On the other hand, the sense of loss and regret over this final parting is often overwhelming.
I will close with something that Steve said shortly before he died:
"Be grateful for every day that you wake up healthy!"
may all beings be happy
may all beings know peace
Carl Franz and Lorena Havens
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Steve Rogers fishing in Mexico
My Father in 10 Songs
.... Steve [Rogers] didn't like music created after 1955, though he made exceptions for bluegrass, Gram Parsons, Merle, or songs his friends played on their guitars on long nights in Mexico.
When I was nineteen, he came to visit me at college. I was attending a hippie school, Evergreen, and for the first time in my life I wasn't embarrassed to be seen on campus with my dad, who, with his long grey beard, enormous pot belly, and penchant for tie-dye, looked like a cross between Jerry Garcia and Galileo.... (more) by 'Churap' Felisa Rogers, Published at Winterpalace: a blog by Felisa Rogers - Open Salon.
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13th edition
Discover why generations of travelers say they wouldn't cross the border without it! Read the award-winning book, The People's Guide to Mexico |
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Steve & Tina at the Coco Loco Open
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