News

Obituaries: Draper, Rodgers

Gail G. Draper

Gail G. Draper of North Ferry Road on Shelter Island, 66, passed away in the care of East End Hospice at Eastern Long Island Hospital on Friday, March 1, 2013. She had stoically undergone many years of pain and discomfort following radiation treatment for cervical cancer, and died in the company of her husband, David, with the comfort of earlier visits from her younger children and a grandson.

Mrs. Draper was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on April 18, 1946. Her childhood was spent in and around Utica, New York and she was a graduate of Frankfort Central School in Frankfort. She attended the Katherine Gibbs School in New York City and SUNY Oswego.

Initially employed as a pool secretary for the Stromberg-Carlson Company in Rochester, a manufacturer of telecommunications switchgear and instruments, Mrs. Draper rose through the ranks to supervisory and management positions. Among her achievements as a young woman was as a project leader from 1971 to 1973 for a nationwide, online, real-time order entry and fulfillment network for the company on an IBM mainframe and remote 3270 protocol terminals.

Mrs. Draper met and married David Draper in 1973 and they made their home in Victor, New York. She left full-time employment to raise her family. Mr. Draper was a staff executive for the company, and when Stromberg-Carlson moved its headquarters to Tampa, Florida in 1978, the family moved there. When the children no longer required her presence full time at home, she and a friend purchased a printing company in Riverview, Florida, which is still in operation under the direction of her partner.

Mrs. Draper lived on Shelter Island since 2007, where shoppers at the annual Art Show and Craft Fair at the Shelter Island School became acquainted with her superb handmade quilts, knitted and crocheted goods.

She is survived by her husband David of Shelter Island; her eldest son Jeffrey of San Antonio, Texas, a printing equipment technician; daughter Lee Oliver (Jim), former youth director on the Island; son Charles (Jamie) of Brandon, Florida, business manager for a Volkswagen dealership; and three grandchildren: David Oliver, Astin Draper and Alex Draper.

No formal funeral arrangements are planned. Mass was said for her by her dear friend Father Peter DeSanctis at Our Lady of the Isle on Sunday, March 3. Contributions to the Shelter Island Ambulance Corps would be welcomed for those who care to remember her in that way.

Dr. John A. Rodgers

Dr. John Andrew Rodgers, a resident of Shelter Island and Paramus, New Jersey, died on February 23, 2013 at age 87.

The beloved husband of Jeannie Ammirato Rodgers for 62 years, Dr. John was born on October 22, 1925 in Paterson, New Jersey, the son of Andrew Rodgers and the former Sophia Rogokos.

Dr. John was a platoon sergeant in charge of a rifle platoon of the 517 Parachute Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army. He served in France and Belgium for 18 months before he was honorably discharged in April 1946. During the war, he fought with the Fourth Infantry Division in the Battle of the Bulge. He was a replacement to the Fourth Infantry Division from December to February 1944 in Luxemburg as an infantry rifleman, ending up on the front line of the Bulge. In 1945 he was taken out of the front line in early March due to frostbite of both feet and shipped to a hospital in Salisbury, England before eventually being flown back to Fort Dix, New Jersey.

Dr. John participated in the Honor Flight of Island veterans last October, a one day tour of Washington, D.C. He was as moved as all of his comrades-in-arms that day, his son, William said. “He said to me, with tears in his eyes, ‘That was the first time anyone ever thanked me for my service.’”

Upon returning home from the war, Dr. John graduated from Lafayette College pre-med in 1948 and began working in the pharmaceutical industry. Later, he decided to finish medical school at Philadelphia School of Osteopathy, specializing in anesthesiology and general practice. He began his career as an anesthesiologist at Paterson General Hospital, and later became chief of anesthesiology at Saddle Brook Hospital and West Essex Hospital. He continued to practice medicine until his retirement in 2000.

“Doc,” as he was affectionately known, is survived by his wife Jeannie Rodgers, his sister Ceres and her husband, Evan Chriss. He is also survived by his three sons John Jr. of Shelter Island, William of Saddle River, Christen Rodgers of Glen Rock. He was predeceased by his son Richard. He is survived by seven grandchildren, Thea, William, Stephanie, Steven, Michael, Jacqueline and Richard Rodgers, as well as his daughters-in-law.
Doc came out to Shelter Island 30 years ago and bought his home on the water to vacation with his family and friends, his son William said. After retiring, he and his wife Jeannie moved here permanently. Shelter Island was paradise to “DocRok.” He loved cars, boating, fishing and sitting by his pool enjoying the water views with a cocktail … or two, his son said.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Homes Fit For Heroes, C/O Raja Properties Corp., 500 N. Franklin Turnpike, Ramsey, New Jersey 07446, (901)-762-6795 or visit homesfitforheroes.net to donate.