Joni Lyn Rogers

Joni Lyn Rogers passed away Tuesday, February 20, 2018. We will gather for fellowship and remembrance from 6-8 p.m. Friday, February 23, 2018 at Lake Ridge Chapel and Memorial Designers. Family and friends will gather to celebrate her life of 58 years on Saturday, February 24, 2018, at 2 p.m. at Lake Ridge Chapel. 

Joni was born February 24, 1960 in Friona, Texas, but resided twelve miles southwest in Bovina.  Her family moved to Lubbock in 1965 to further Joni’s education, where she lived the remainder of her life. 

Joni attended Hodges Elementary and Ballenger School where she graduated at the age of 22 years with a love of sign language and small children.  She was proud of her participation in the Special Olympics, where she went with her team to state competition in Austin, Texas.  She was self-taught in sign language, but continued taking local classes, and was later certified as an interpreter.  After graduation, she worked for 15 or more years in a home day care, where she was known as the potty-training specialist.   She also worked at First Baptist Church Mother’s Day Out program, Covenant Children’s Hospital Playroom, and Texas Tech Early Head Start Day Care program.

Joni and her Mother began the Weight Watcher’s weight loss program shortly before her Mother’s death.  Joni continued attending meetings and vigorously pursued her goal of losing weight, eventually reaching her goal weight, and maintaining it for many years until her passing.  After Joni’s Mother’s death in 1999, she moved to the home of her sister and brother-in-law, Jana and Greg Hallett, where she lived until her death.  Prior to her death, Joni and her Mother bowled together on an adult bowling league.  She continued to bowl with an amazing group of men and women until just weeks prior to passing.  She made many friends when she was taught to shoot pool by her brother-in-law, Greg, and began playing in adult pool tournaments.  Her partner, Papa James Williams, made her Friday nights the highlight of her week.   During that time, she was invited to attend New Testament Baptist Church by her friend, Tammy Cox, where she found her church home.  She became a part of the music ministry using her sign language skills to interpret a part of the Sunday morning music.

Joni loved Texas Tech basketball and football and could be heard cheering loudly while she watched recorded games on television, even when she already knew the outcome.  Joni had other hobbies such as adult coloring books, word search books, and working out to videos.  She was also a big fan of the television shows Emergency, Dancing with the Stars, and WWE Raw Wrestling.  Joni loved having a manicure and pedicure, where she was known to select colors based on her mother’s favorites, or maybe something a little wilder like blue.  She loved country music and had a large collection of CD’s, artist biographies, and concert t-shirts.  Loretta Lynn, Kenny Chesney, and Tammy Wynette were a few of her all-time favorites.  Her dream to visit the sites of Nashville and the home of Loretta Lynn were derailed by her illness.  We know she will be front row to see the concerts of her favorites in Heaven. 

Joni was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in early October of 2017.  She fought an amazing battle, never missing church or bowling until just the two weeks prior to her death.  She went to be with the Lord after an eleven-day hospital stay where her family was touched by the incredible number of friends who made the time to visit her and keep in touch by phone and text messages.   Joni’s family is comforted in the knowledge that she is with her family in Heaven and is healed of her pain and suffering by our Heavenly Father.   

Survivors include her sisters, Jana Hallett and husband, Greg of Lubbock, Texas; Jige Jenkins and husband, Trym of Peralta, New Mexico; brothers, Kale Luttrall of Ralls, Texas; Cory Rogers of Lubbock, Texas; nieces, Chelsey Rodgers and husband, Bryan; Kylee, Jaycee, and Brynlee Jenkins; nephew, Chance Maciolek; cousins, Tim Rogers, Tammy Rogers-Feldhausen, D’Anne Vidaurri, Jimmie Dawn Jones; aunt, Denise Jones; great nephews, Logan and Luke Rodgers.

She was preceded in death by her father, Jerry Don Rogers; mother, Dorothy Luttrall; and cousin, Montana Jones.