POUGHKEEPSIE – Erna Rogers, a resident at the Grand Rehabilitation Center in Poughkeepsie celebrated her 102nd birthday on Thursday. The milestone celebration was attended by staff, friends from her church, community, and elected officials. In addition to cake and gifts, Ms. Rogers was presented a certificate from city officials recognizing March 2, 2023, as “Erna Rogers’ Day” in the city.
Erna was born in Poughkeepsie and raised on a well-known farm in Clinton Corners named Brenner Mill Company. She grew up with two siblings, a brother, and a sister, and attended the City of Poughkeepsie School. After graduating in 1938, Erna continued her education at Wood-Purington School for Typing and Secretarial Studies and began working as a junior accountant for many companies in Poughkeepsie.
Her first job was at Central Hudson and she was laid off at the start of World War II. Erna immediately applied to IBM where she worked for over 20 years. While she never married or had children, Erna was very involved in her community and was a lifelong member of St. John’s Lutheran Church of Poughkeepsie.
When asked about the secret to a long life Erna said “I thank God for everything, I go to God for everything. He is in my thoughts daily and he has been good to me. He has answered all my prayers.”
