Joseph Dale Rogers, age 83, was born August 30, 1934, the son of Haskel and Lucy Bertram Rogers. Grandma Mattie Rogers was part of this family and it was she who cared for Dale and his sister, Sue after their mother passed away. Later, a step-mom, Flora Phipps Sexton, became part of the family.

Dale and Sue were born in the Cooper community of Wayne County, Kentucky. Other childhood homes were in the Eubank community of Pulaski County, the Lockett's Chapel community of Wayne County, and in Odin, Illinois. In 1947, when Dale was 12 years old, the family moved to a place on Michigan Avenue in Monticello. At that time their property was on the edge of town, with the city limits line running between the house and garden. For several years Haskel Rogers operated a grist mill at that location. Dale spent much time working at the grist mill. He and Sue attended Monticello School.

Dale earned a basketball scholarship at Cumberland College. He attended one year before deciding to join the United State Air Force. In his twenty-year military career he always worked with weather. He worked as a weather observer, a weather forecaster, and for many years, he worked in Space Weather. During the time of the Apollo moon missions he observed and forecasted solar flares for NASA to help insure the safety of the astronauts. His assignments took him to many locations in this country and to many foreign countries.

After retiring from the Air Force in 1973, Dale opened a photography business in Monticello. For the next 30 years his photographs helped record life in this community. Beginning in 1985, he also worked as Wayne County's cooperative weather observer for the National Weather Service.

Dale was a member of the local Lions Club. He was deeply committed to the programs of that club and worked in many of its projects. He served seventeen years as secretary.

Dale is survived by a close friend, Bernice Ballou, his sister, Sue Rogers, and numerous friends and cousins who remember him as one who worked tirelessly at "giving back" to Wayne County.

The family will receive friends on Sunday, September 17, 2017 after 11 am in the chapel of the funeral home. Funeral services will be held Sunday, September 17, 2017 at 2 pm at the Hicks-Vaughn Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will be in the Elk Spring Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers expressions of sympathy may take the form of donations to:
Wayne County Museum
P. O. Box 67
Monticello, KY 42633