Charles Nickerson Rogers of North Truro, a Provincetown native and former owner of Conwell Lumber, died at Cape Cod Hospital on Feb. 8, 2024. He was 75.
Charlie was born in Fall River on Feb. 17, 1948 to William Rogers, Provincetown’s chief of police, and Phebe Rogers, an English teacher at Provincetown High School. He often recalled childhood scenes, such as having fish fights on the beach with his cousins and other neighborhood kids.
He was a member of the class of 1966 at Provincetown High School, where he played football, and then attended Clark University. He transferred to UMass Amherst, where he earned a B.S. in geology.
Charlie was a hard worker and had a keen sense for business. He started making donuts early in the morning at the old Donut Shop (currently Chach) and later worked as a bouncer at the Governor Bradford. His first professional job was in land surveying, followed by a brief stint as a shop owner, opening the Pilgrim Variety convenience store at 322 Commercial St. In 1985, he become a title examiner and spent 30 years researching properties at the registry of deeds.
Charlie served on the Provincetown’s planning board, zoning board of appeals, and select board and was involved in building several housing projects. In 1989 he purchased Provincetown Lumber, renamed it Conwell Lumber, and expanded the business as an Ace Hardware outlet.
Charlie met his wife, Joan Jodko, at the Surf Club in the summer of 1972. Originally from Custer, Mich., Joan was visiting Provincetown on an extended vacation after graduating from college with an art degree. They hit it off and were soon inseparable. They married on May 12, 1973.
Joan and Charlie had two sons, Jeff and Joe. Joan became a preschool teacher and had her own school adjacent to the family home on Sandy Hill Lane. Later she joined him at Conwell Ace as manager.
Jeff moved to the Cape in 2006, allowing Charlie and Joan to enjoy many years of retirement, traveling as much as they could.
Charlie liked experimenting with food and preparing meals for friends and family, especially spicy dishes. Sometimes he would host exotic food parties for his friends. He also had a keen interest in science fiction, particularly zombie stories. He greatly enjoyed studying genealogy and family history. Combining that love with his work on deeds and probate, he researched family trees and property holdings dating back to colonial times.
Charlie was proud of being a 13th-generation descendant of Thomas Rogers, one of the Pilgrims who signed the Mayflower Compact in Provincetown Harbor in 1620.
He loved his family and spending time with his grandchildren, driving them to school and music lessons and teaching them to drive when they were old enough.
Charlie was diagnosed with renal cancer in 2005 at age 57, and doctors told him that he had only a year to live. He never gave up hope. With the help of new medications, his cancer went into remission. In 2010, his remaining kidney failed, and he required dialysis treatments for the rest of his life.
Toward the end, Charlie lived with chronic pain, but he had a lot left to live for and outlasted his initial doctors’ predictions by 18 years.
He leaves his wife of 50 years, Joan Rogers of North Truro; his son Jeff Rogers and wife Stacy of North Truro and their children, Kaden, Amaryllis, and Ellowyn; and his son Joe and wife Mary Alice of Williamsburg.
A memorial service will be held at Nickerson Funeral Home in Wellfleet on Saturday, Feb. 17. Visiting hours will be from 10 to 11:30 a.m. with a short service at 11:30. A reception and luncheon will follow at Montano’s Restaurant in Truro that afternoon from 1 to 3 for all friends, family, and acquaintances who would like to celebrate Charlie’s life.
In lieu of flowers, donations may go to the Soup Kitchen in Provincetown, Shriners Children’s Hospital, or another charity.
