5/30/1931 - 9/4/2022
lla Jean’s Life Journey
Proverbs 3:27-29
29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. kjv
26 She is clothed with strength and digity; she can laugh at the days to come. niv
27 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. niv
A Time To Be Born
Ella Jean Seay Rogers was born on May 30, 1931, in Omaha, Nebraska. She was the seventh child born of nine to James Seay and Rosie Belle (Pettigrew) Seay. She is preceded in death by her siblings James Ethelbert Seay, Claudia Draper, Corrine White, Louise Borders, Beverly Johnson, and Sharon Alford.
Ella Jean was an avid reader. From a young age, she read books that explored parts of the world and stories of people in distant lands that were very different from the world outside her door.
She was a lover of all things associated with the arts and valued education. Those values she attributed to her education and time at Howard Kennedy, Tech High School, and Metropolitan Community College. As a lifelong learner, she took classes and workshops and took every opportunity to learn new things whether that was cake decorating, sewing, carpentry, upholstery, flower arranging, design, or writing.
A Time To Love
As teenagers, Ella Jean met John Buyon Rogers, who had come from Camden/Stephens Arkansas at a dance in the Dreamland Ballroom in 1947. They were married in 1952 and celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary before John’s passing on August 3, 2012.
A Time To Plant
Ella Jean is survived by her children, Jeffrey G. Rogers (Adrienne) of Upper Marlboro, MD, Jonice K. Rogers, Joel D. Rogers (Felicia), Jade R. Rogers, and Tyrone Robinson (Bertilia), all of Omaha, NE; 17 grandchildren, 8 great-grandchildren, her sister Veola Dryver, brother-in-law Scoby "Rick" Alford, one sister-in-law Sylvia Archer, and a host of godsons, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
A Time To Sew
Ella Jean joined Mt. Nebo Missionary Baptist Church in 1933 with her family.
She served in The Mission as a deaconess for over 50 years and served as Chairwoman of the Deaconess.
She worked with the Baptist Training Union, the Culinary Ministry, Women’s Ministry, the Floral and Decorating Ministries, was a Vacation Bible School Teacher, and sang in the choir for many years. These are only a fraction of the positions, programs and initiatives that she founded and was instrumental in bringing to life. She didn’t always have to be upfront and in the spotlight. She worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that programs and departments ran smoothly and in good order.
As a teenager, Ella worked at Crosstown Cleaners on 24th and Patrick and she relished recounting the days when 24th Street was a vibrant community. As an adult, she worked at Western Electric and then later, working and retired from Northwestern Bell Telephone Company, where she was one of the first Black women in the Public Relations department. She worked in the archives, with photographers, modeled for national advertisements for Bell Telephone, and appeared in commercials for the company.
In 2018 she was recognized as one of 12 Trailblazing Women, in an exhibit highlighting the achievements of women in Omaha at the Durham History Museum. In the exhibit, she highlighted Omaha and the civil rights movement of the 1960s, Omaha’s History, and the importance of community, her faith, and her family.
A Time To Build Up
Ella loved people, she loved her family, and was a humble servant of the Lord. Her heart was moved with compassion for women and the senior members of the church. She was faithful in her service to others and as a caregiver of her own mother, she also volunteered and served as an executive board member for Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging.
She believed in the importance of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, through her own walk and caring for others. She was well known to care for and visit the sick and shut-in, going into the homes of women who needed assistance when they were ill, cooking meals, sending cards, and making and receiving calls from scores of members, family, and friends to provide comfort and words of encouragement. She journaled daily, and among her notes would be countless entries of prayer requests and reminders to check on people. Even as she became unable to attend services regularly, her phone ministry remained strong up until the end of her life.
A Time To Laugh
Ella loved good food and loved to cook. She has many beloved dishes that were served at large and small gatherings, but she exemplified the idea of what soul food was and the tenets of pouring love into her food. She loved creating a beautiful space in her home to entertain and loved arranging, rearranging, and changing those spaces based on ideas and clippings from Architectural Digest. She was fond of a good strong cup of mint or ginger tea, watching a good movie, but most importantly, giving her testimony and rejoicing in the goodness of the Lord.
A Time To Mourn and A Time to Celebrate
Ella looked for the positive in everything and everyone. She enjoyed fellowshipping with friends and family and reminiscing about times past. She served as a living testament of what a good daughter, sister, wife, mother, and grandmother should be. Though her physical presence is no longer with us, her legacy and memory will live on.
Matthew 25:23 kjv
…Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
VISITATION: Thursday, September 15, 2022 from 6-8:00pm at Braman Mortuary (72 St. Chapel)
CELEBRATION OF ELLA'S LIFE: Friday, September 16, 2022 at 11:00am at Mount Nebo Missionary Baptist Church (5501 N. 50 St.)
INTERMENT: Forest Lawn
Braman Mortuary (72 St. Chapel)
1702 N. 72 St.
Omaha, NE 68114
402-391-2171
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