SlideShow of Richard’s Life, Tie-dyes, and Art
Obituary for Richard Rogers (from Tribute Site at Goes Funeral Home)
Richard Rogers, 80, of Fort Collins, Colorado, passed away naturally in his bed on August 18, 2022. Richard was a tie-dye craftsman, a hippie, an artist, an author, and a veteran,. He was a gentle, kind soul. He was an avid reader and listener of public radio until the end, and passionate about world affairs and climate change. He considered Eckhart Tolle his spiritual teacher and highly recommended the book, “The Power of Now.” He will be greatly missed!
Richard was born to Sherbrooke “Sherry” Yates Rogers and George “Webb” Rogers in Boston in 1942. He grew up on the East Coast and studied English Literature at the University of New Hampshire, where he met his first wife, Charlotte Hutcheson. When he got his draft letter, he enlisted for 3 years and worked as the supply clerk for the Frankfurt Army Hospital and completed his Bachelor’s degree from Germany. As a pacifist, he was grateful not to have gone to Vietnam or seen combat. His eldest daughter Lisa was born in Germany during his service in 1968. He was honorably discharged when his tour was completed.
In the early 70s he was living on a small commune in Vermont where he met his second wife, Lynn Crothers. They moved to The Farm in Tennessee, an intentional spiritual community which ended up being the largest hippie ”commune” in the country, as did his ex-wife Charlotte with her second husband, John Gabriel, and Charlotte and Richard’s daughter Lisa. While living on the community, he separated from Lynn and later married his third wife, Laurie Caldwell.
In the mid-80s he moved back to the East Coast to be near his mother and family. Richard, as the artist he was, developed new and interesting tie-dye designs. He made and sold thousands of tie-dyes. In 2016, about a year after a major open-heart surgery, his daughter Lisa helped him move to CO with his tie-dye business. Unfortunately, the altitude was challenging for his heart, and he wasn’t able to continue making new tie-dyes.
Richard’s webpage http://www.tie-dyes.com/ is no longer active for purchases but still shows off many of his designs.
His book, “How to Tie-Dye Stars” is on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/How-Tie-dye-Stars-Book-Tie-Dye/dp/1452846278 .
He is survived by his children and stepchildren Teresa, Lisa, Eliza, Jason, George, Alethea, Melissa, and Onawa; sisters Jean Vautour and Gail Rogers; previous wives Charlotte and Lynn; grandchildren Ashley, Alex, Arminius, Ulandus, and Amiyae; and great-grandchildren Armoni and Amora.
Richard was preceded in death by his sister, Janet Myers; stepdaughter Michelle; and previous wife, Laurie, who remained his best friend.
Donations in his name may be sent to GiveWell’s Maximum Impact fund https://www.givewell.org/maximum-impact-fund or the Foothills Unitarian Church in Fort Collins, CO’s “Share the Plate” fund helping local needy organizations- https://foothillsuu.org/giving/
