Mark David Rogers died on June 26 at his home with the First Light Community in Mobile, Alabama. He was 63 years old, but forever young in mind and spirit.


He was born on March 6, 1961, to Lewis L. and Mary Lou (Fitzgerald) Rogers. He arrived with a full head of dark hair, smiled enthusiastically and often and, over time, developed a personality that was distinctly his own.


He was occasionally cantankerous, but never mean-spirited. He liked his hamburgers one way: just meat and bread. He loathed trips to the pediatrician; the only doctors he ever trusted were Who and Strange. He looked forward to annual outings to the Jackson County Fair. And for one NFL season, he lived and died with the weekly fate of the Dallas Cowboys. That obsession passed, fortunately both for him and for the rest of the family.


His formal education took place at the Jackson County Exceptional School in Pascagoula, Mississippi, where he learned a skill that would entertain and divert him throughout life: reading. His favorite books were superhero comics of the DC and Marvel universes. He loved watching movies featuring the characters, and took particular delight in spotting the cameo appearances of the Marvel legend Stan Lee. Action figures and posters accented his room. Baseball caps, decorative belt buckles and snow globes also caught his fancy, and he collected them all.


Math was a closed book for Mark, but he had an aptitude for recalling important dates. He took note every year of the birthdays of all his family members, extending out to nieces and nephews, all of whom he considered were growing up much too fast. Among his prized possessions every year was a calendar that listed noteworthy historical facts and events for every day, information he would sometimes randomly drop into conversations. He didn't keep track of his own age.


In his younger years, he worked various jobs with Singing River Industries, which provides opportunities for people with learning disabilities. It all left Mark with a host of experiences and memories from across the Mississippi Coast that he cherished and liked reminiscing about. His last formal job was as part of a clean-up crew at the International Paper Mill in his hometown, Moss Point, an assignment that was brutally hot in summers but offered social interactions he enjoyed. Like hundreds of others, he lamented the mill's closing in 2001.


Mark believed firmly that extraterrestrials visited Pascagoula in October 1973 and briefly abducted Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker. And he saw no reason to think that was an isolated incident. Ghosts at times inhabited his world – perhaps in his dreams, but maybe not. Who can really say?


Mark's parents predeceased him, as did an infant brother, John Ward Rogers. He is survived by his brothers, Joe (Kayne), Lee (Tracy), Pat (Elizabeth), and Tom; nephews Jack, Ryan, Sean and Campbell; and nieces Abby, Katherine and Sophie.


The family plans a private memorial service and burial. Memorial donations can be made to First Light Community, 151 South Ann St., Mobile, AL, 36604.