Marvin Perry Rogers

"Chester always said we come here to leave", is one of the statements made by my father on November 3rd, 2023 at his younger brother, Uncle Poochie's, funeral; Chester was his father and his younger brother's namesake. Marvin Perry Rogers came into this world Marvin Perry Barnes Monday, March 2nd, 1959 to Willie Mae Barnes and Chester Arthur Rogers in The Peoples Republic of Brooklyn, NY. Born 3 months premature, his mother's heart stopped multiple times while giving birth but she let the doctors know that she did not want to live and have her baby die; we see the table was set on how his life was a testament to beating the odds. Growing up, he loved watching and playing sports; among his favorite toys were a Bobby Hull Hockey game and Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots. His favorite sport was baseball; a Mets fan he was with Darryl Strawberry being his favorite player of all time. Marvin fought in the NY Golden Gloves and for 4 years was the 4th ranked light heavyweight and heavyweight tabulating a record of 50 wins and 4 losses with 46 knockouts (41 in the 1st round). In his last fight, he lost a decision to future heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe; he later admitted he won that fight and many others believed as well but by him having to retire at 26 and Bowe being an up-and-coming heavyweight fighter, the decision went against him. Marvin fought part-time to keep in shape while he worked as a conductor for the NY Transit Authority. He played basketball at Canarsie High School making the All-City Team and garnering a scholarship to Texas Tech. But on his graduation day, he got lucky. With his first love Kim, he was going to be a parent so that plan got the kibosh. When people become ancestors, a common condolence is "sorry for your loss" and that's accurate; a part of us goes with them. Although we gain an ancestor, these attachments assist in life's meaning. Marvin was not only a father to Shanelle, Malik and me but also a husband to Betty, brother to Betty(Barnes), John Jr, Leander, Georgia Mae and Poochie(Chester), son to Willie Mae and Chester, grandfather to Reina, Xavier, Ben, Nzinga & Gabby, uncle to John the 3d(Stinky/Sugarfoot), Andre, Deon, Nicholas, Michael, Anthony, Johnathan, Senora, Tanya, Terry, Sherise, Andrew & Aiyanna, nephew to Aunt Eva & Aunt Shirley, father in law to Ed, brother in law to Sister(Mary), Estelle, Silva, Carl & Gilbert, step father to Maria & Randy, step grandfather to Mess & Ness, best friend to Chef(James) and Kim(his 1st love), cousin many to and friend many more. We can each speak about what we'll miss about him but I, like us all, just miss him. With all our love, rest in POWER

Marvin Perry Rogers

March 2, 1959 - January 6, 2024