Rogers Cockrill

Rogers Cockrill, 74, of Little Rock, died Friday, July 2, 2021.  He was born February 17, 1947, to the late Jane Tillar Rogers and Chester Ashley Cockrill, Sr. He is preceded in death by his sister, Emma Jane Sellers, brother, Chester Ashley Cockrill, Jr. and his nephew, David Ashley Sellers. He is survived by his wife, Ellon Rogers Cockrill, daughter Ashley Cockrill Ernemann and her husband, Andrew, and sons, Tillar Haviland Ernemann and Cornell Frederick Ernemann, and his son Rogers Tillar Cockrill, and his wife Jenny Wittenberg Cockrill, and daughter, Georgia Ashley Cockrill. Other survivors include his sister, Frances Cockrill Mayhan and her husband Lynn and their two children, Laura Rogers Mayhan and Lt. Col. (Ret) David Holmes Mayhan and his wife Gale and their children, Megan, Ryan and Brady. Additional survivors are his nephew, Robert D. Sellers and his wife, Gina, niece Tammy Sellers Lue and her husband Stanley and great-nephews Ashley Sellers and Sterling Sellers.

Rogers was defined by the loves of his life: He loved his children, Ashley, and Rogers, and was the best father to them that he knew how to be – teaching them to swim, fish, hunt, water ski, snow ski and how to love the beauty of nature in Tillar.  He adored his grandchildren, Tillar, Georgia, and Cornell, because he was a child himself, he was able to make every day with them fun.  He loved teaching them to duck hunt in Tillar, fish, and the joys of spending hours on the water at Lake Catherine. He loved his godparents, Margie and Vernon Scott who are credited with providing the only discipline that he ever knew and their children Dr. John Scott and Sarah Mayo.  He loved his nephews and nieces – Bob Sellers, David Sellers, Tammy Sellers Lue, Laura Mayhan and David Mayhan sometimes being a father figure but most of the time he was a fabulous friend and uncle.  He loved duck hunting, the thing that motivated him from the end of January to the middle of November was the next duck season.

He loved the Episcopal High School in Alexander, Virginia, where he learned to argue a point to its death. He loved Lake Hamilton where he spent most weekends from 1955 until 1989 and learned to fish, swim, ski and race his boats. He loved with all his heart Tillar, Arkansas, and the Tillar Hunting Club where camaraderie was the bond that held his rag tag hunting buddies together for decades. He loved his Labrador Retrievers, Buff, Buddy, Sable, Darling, Sugar and Sweetie but the fur friend he loved the most was his Jack Russell Terrier, Honey.

He loved his fast cars, especially his 1966 GTO banned on the highways in the state of Virginia. He loved his fast boats and the fun of trying to make them faster than any other boat on Lake Hamilton – ask the wardens.  He loved hunting and fishing and it did not matter if it was deer, duck, dove, alligators, or just critters; always fishing for the next big bass, crappie, salmon, walleye, or fly fishing for that elusive big trout in Colorado.  He loved projects and it did not matter if it was spreading mulch, loading his own shotgun shells or cartridges, or repairing the sprinkler system, he always had the latest and best equipment for his projects.  He was an incredible lover of duct tape and gorilla glue and repaired many an item that later lived in the trash. He loved shopping – in person or online – it did not matter, and he had VIP status with many companies such as Cabela’s, Bass Pro Shop, Harbor Freight, E-Bay, and Pay Pal.  The UPS and FedEx main offices knew him by his first name.

Rogers graduated from the Episcopal High School in Alexander, Virginia, in 1966.  He attended the University of Virginia graduating in 1970.  He attended the School of Law at University of Arkansas—Fayetteville, graduating in 1973.  Rogers started his law career in the Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney’s office led by Lee Munson.  Rogers was never defined by his law career rather by his guidance and support of Tillar and Company, a family farming operation in existence since 1866.  Rogers served for many years on the Easterseals Arkansas Board, the Parent Center Board and the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation Board.  Rogers was a member of the Country Club of Little Rock, a lifetime member at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral and also a lifetime member of Ducks Unlimited, thanks to the generosity of Fred Balch, III.  Rogers lived 42 years with heart disease; having his first open heart surgery at age of 32 requiring an aortic valve replacement, one of many.  Rogers never let his illness define him or his life.  He looked the picture of health, and he never used his heart as a crutch.  Special thanks to Dr. Jim Kane and Linda Doyle for 33 years of incredible medical care where he was known as a resilient, but noncompliant patient.  At CHI St. Vincent Jackson T. Stephens Heart Institute, Rogers earned his frequent visitor status designation at a very early age.  Special thanks to Dr. Gerry Jones, Dr. John Jones, Dr. Brent Borg, Dr. Mohammed Waqas, and Dr. Jennifer Minneman, the nurses, and the entire health care staff of the CVICU unit where Rogers received superior care his entire last month in the Heart Institute.  Thanks to Dr. Morgan Sauer and his incredible team at Baptist Hospice, especially nurses DeeDee and Kittie and Home Health care provider Shawana.  I am eternally grateful to Kathy Cummings, nurse extraordinaire, who helped Rogers and Ellon navigate his last days.  Special thanks to Kathy Taylor with the CHI SVI Foundation for providing unbelievable support.  In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Episcopal High School, 1200 North Quaker Lane, Alexandria, Virginia, 22303, CHI SVI Jackson T. Stephens Heart Institute, Two St. Vincent Circle, Little Rock AR 72205, Easterseals Arkansas, 3920 Woodland Heights Rd, Little Rock, AR 72212, the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation, 2 Natural Resources Dr., Little Rock, AR 72205 or Ducks Unlimited, One Waterfowl Way, Memphis, Tennessee, 38120.

Funeral services for Rogers will be at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 7, 2021, A visitation and reception will follow the services in Chancellor’s Hall at Trinity. A graveside and burial service will be held at 4:00 p.m. at the Tillar Cemetery, 3871 Highway, 277, Tillar, Arkansas 71670.  Arrangements by Smith Family Funeral Homes. Sign Rogers online guest register at www.smithfamilycares.com

Please note that MASKS WILL BE REQUIRED at the services.