Kim Rogers

Kim Rogers, a preschool teacher, wife and mother succumbed to her long battle with cancer on September 2, 2011, she was 55 years old.

Kim was born in Lynwood California and was the oldest of three children to Herman and Nancy Reece – Herman a dentist, was raised by his aunt and railroad engineer uncle met Nancy when she was his dental hygienist. Kim’s life started out in Compton and early on, the family moved to Long Beach where she attended Los Cerritos Elementary, Hughes Junior High, and Long Beach Polytechnic High School.

After graduating from high school, Kim attended Long Beach City College and earned an Associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education where she began a long fulfilling career in that field; she truly loved children and was inspired by her mentor Docia Zavitkovsky to listen to the children and learn by play.

Kim married in 1983 and with child in tow moved to Santa Barbara on Easter day in 1986. Several years later and after our son was born, she began working with the Santa Barbara School District as a preschool teacher. She estimated that she readied about twenty-two hundred children for kindergarten. She was always greeted warmly by former students when they would cross paths in the community. Some of her students, when they became parents, would request to have Kim be their child’s teacher as well.

Besides children, Kim loved her dogs. On occasion, she would bring her beloved Cookie to her class to show children dogs can be their friend and to not fear them. Kim loved to socialize with close friends and coworkers at a moment’s notice. She was a very kind hearted person and never had an unkind word to say about anyone. She loved music and everyone in the family played an instrument and sang.

Prior to her passing, Kim went back to school and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education in January of 2010 from La Verne University. Two months later we learned she had a stage four sarcoma. She leaves behind a husband, two children and a grandchild. Kim is also survived by her parents and a sister and brother. She will truly be missed by all!