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Devin Rogers at his brother Kyle's wedding, June 2, 2018.
East Quogue native Devin Rogers, the son of longtime Southampton Press arts writer and HamptonsArtHub.com founder Pat Rogers of East Quogue and Brian Rogers of Westhampton Beach, died unexpectedly of natural causes at his home in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, on Wednesday, July 22, 2020. He was 27.
Born on February 10, 1993 in Port Jefferson, he attended East Quogue Elementary School and Westhampton Beach Middle School and graduated from Westhampton Beach High School in 2011. It was in high school that he knew that culinary arts would be his life’s passion, his family said, and he began his studies at BOCES in Riverhead. Deciding to be a baker early on, he started honing his skills by baking cookies for several area non-profits, including Maureen’s Haven and the Clay Art of the Hampton’s annual Bowls of Plenty benefit for the Water Mill Museum.
He attended Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island and earned an Associate Degree in Baking & Pastry Arts before going on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Baking & Pastry Arts and Food Service Management in 2016, making the Dean’s List multiple times. Upon graduation, he began working for Wright’s Dairy Farm and Bakery in North Smithfield, Rhode Island. He would also frequently make pies, pastries, and unusual recipes for friends on request or upon a dare, his family said, like the time he made Parmesan cookies, which turned out just as expected.
As an alumnus of Johnson & Wales, Mr. Rogers recently volunteered to talk to students pursuing degrees in Baking & Pastry Arts, and also offered to help recruit new students for the school.
According to his family, Mr. Rogers took everything in stride and was known for his compassion, acts of unexpected kindness and pure quirkiness. A lover of puns, understated jokes, weird things, and cat videos, in 2005 he could be spotted from time to time walking on East Quogue’s Main Street in a yellow chicken suit.
The chicken suit made another appearance when Mr. Rogers played bass guitar in a Westhampton Beach High School Battle of the Bands with his brother Kyle on guitar and Andy Reeves on drums. The chicken suit was later passed on to a family friend, who still takes joy in keeping the tradition of chicken suit appearances alive and well in Westhampton Beach.
No matter what Mr. Rogers did, his family said, he approached it with a sense of interest and enjoyed discovering new things—whether it was history, the story of how an invention worked, the way beer is brewed, or the way whiskey is made. An avid Magic card game player and online game enthusiast, he enjoyed bowling, poker, board games, funny movies and also appreciated the authentic, the handmade, and design in general.
He particularly enjoyed an unexpected twist to anything and making people laugh for the joy of it, his family noted. Mr. Rogers had no ego, his family said, and had endless patience for listening to others and offering solutions to whatever was bothering them.
“Devin was the rarest type of person,” his brother Kyle Rogers said, “one who was genuinely good through and through. I’ve never met anyone kinder, always willing to go above and beyond for anyone in his life. He baked my wedding cake, and it totally stole the show; I doubt I’ll ever taste anything better again. He was funny in the most special way.”
“He was so committed to making people smile,” Kyle continued, “even if it meant weeks of dedication for a single pun. Whenever Devin was around, I knew that everything was going to be okay. He saved me in so many ways, and this world is a better place for having him in it.”
In addition to his mother and father, Mr. Rogers is survived by his brother Kyle Rogers and wife Sage Cotignola of Brooklyn; and his girlfriend, Lea Benoit of North Smithfield, Rhode Island. He is also survived by aunts and uncles: Louis Paulovich of Hicksville; Karen Paulovich Gonzalez of East Atlantic Beach, New York; Jane and David McFarland of East Islip; Drs. Colleen and John Witherell of Glenn Mills, Pennsylvania; and Susan Paulovich of Charlottesville, Virginia. Also, first cousins Kristen Schaefer of New York City; Stephanie Apple and her husband Justin, and son, Hunter, of Moyock, North Carolina; Alaric and Estelle Gonzalez of East Atlantic Beach; Tamittica and Thomas Paulovich of Charlottesville; and Nicole, Gabrielle and Julianna Witherell of Glen Mills.
His was predeceased by his great-grandmother Stella Stopko of Windber, Pennsylvania, whom he loved very much.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to a student scholarship fund in Mr. Rogers’s honor at Johnson & Wales University at alumni.jwu.edu/donation-pages/devin-rogers. The family has also suggested sharing a pun, a bad joke, or a random act of kindness in Mr. Rogers’s honor.
Services are scheduled on Saturday, August 1, from 2 to 5 p.m. at Werner & Rothwell Funeral Home at 60 Mill Road in Westhampton Beach, with a memorial at 4 p.m. Under New York State guidelines, masks are required, the funeral home can accommodate up to 50 people at a time, and visitors are welcome to gather maintaining social distancing with masks outdoors on the Mill Road side of the building.
In addition, the family plans to offer an online memorial. An additional memorial service will be arranged at a future date, the family said, when the world becomes safe to travel.
on Jul 28, 2020