Geneta "Hoppy" Rogers

Geneta “Hoppy” Rogers, 87, passed away surrounded by her family on Sunday, March 8, 2026. Born in Lowell to the late Charlie Roscoe Hopkins and Ruby Coretta Gilreath Hopkins, she was affectionately known as Hoppy throughout her life. She was preceded in death by her husband, Claude “Moose” Rogers Jr., her sister Wanda Dalrymple, her brother Steve Hopkins, her sister-in-law Judy Rogers Waldroop, and her brother-in-law Jim Clemmer.

A woman of deep faith and quiet determination, Hoppy devoted her life to serving others through education and ministry. She attended Western Carolina University, where she excelled in intramural basketball and softball and set a national record for the longest basketball toss. After graduation she spent four years at Echo Hill Camp in New Jersey, first as a counselor and then as director. Returning to North Carolina, she became a driving force in early childhood education. She traveled to Chicago to secure grants for the Macon Program for Progress, helped launch the Head Start program in Macon County in 1966 alongside Dorothy Crawford and Lucy Pickens, and later served as director of MPP Head Start. She went on to direct a community daycare in Cartoogechaye, lead Southwestern Child Development, and teach at Nantahala and Cullasaja schools, often alongside her husband, Moose. Even after earning her own education degree, she attended classes each Friday with women seeking their degrees, transferring with them to Mars Hill to earn a degree in Early Childhood Development.

Hoppy and Moose joined Cartoogechaye Baptist Church in 1967, where she remained an active and beloved member for nearly six decades. She directed Vacation Bible School, taught the Women’s Sunday School class, served as church clerk, and participated on the missions committee. One of her most enduring contributions was helping establish the church’s Women’s Missionary Union quilt ministry, through which she touched countless lives with her generosity and care.

She is survived by her children, Tres (Jami Waldroop) Rogers and Cory Rogers; her sisters, Carolyn (Wade) Shope and Ernestine Clemmer; and her cherished grandchildren, Preston (Caroline) Rogers, Hunter (Cameron Mullinax) Rogers, Brooklyn (Blake Randall) Rogers, Bryce (Anna) Rogers, Alexander (Ashlyn Allen) Rogers, and Storie Ann Rogers. Hoppy will be remembered for her lifelong dedication to education, her loving and compassionate spirit, and her strong, unwavering faith.