Apr 29, 2021
EAST PALESTINE Rufus Sandy Rodgers, 93, was called home to God, Friday, April 23, 2021, after an extended battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
He was born in Canton, on June 20, 1927, to John Edmund Churchill and Grace Sandy Rodgers, growing up with two younger sisters, Calista (Genre) and Nancy (Henceroth). His mother, Grace, died when he was 15; his father remarried Geraldine Allen, and they had his half-sister, Delta Lou.
Growing up, he pursued sports and music. In his teen years, he loved baseball and riding his bike, as evidenced by his legendary rides from Lorain, Ohio to Saint Louis to see numerous Major League games when he was 17. He was on the baseball and tennis varsity teams and played the drums in the high school band.