Dr. Jerry Bogener, Longtime Area Educator, Passes at 97

Jerry Dean Bogener was born on March 5, 1928, at Nelsonville, Marion County, Missouri, to Anna Lorena (Bohon) Bogener and Raymond Jasper (Jack) Bogener. A longtime South Texas resident and educator, Jerry passed away in Kingsville, Texas, surrounded by family at the age of 97 on February 3, 2026. With an engaging personality and a positive attitude toward life, Jerry left an indelible impression upon all those he met.

Growing up during the Great Depression, Jerry attended Salem and Monroe Elementary schools, followed by graduation from High School in Philadelphia, Missouri.

At the age of seventeen, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps (Air Force), where he served for three years, attaining the rank of

Sergeant, teaching celestial navigation. At this time, he was married to Betty Hayden and was blessed with a daughter, Jerri Kaye. After discharge, Bogener attended Hannibal- La Grange College and subsequently Northeast Missouri State Teachers College, where he received both a BS and MA degrees in Education. He also attended Colorado State Teachers College (now University of Northern Colorado) and Northern Illinois University.

In August of 1953, Jerry married Marilyn Virginia Farris of Downing, Missouri. The couple were married for seventy-two years until Jerry's death in 2026. Their union produced two children, Stephen, in 1958, and Lori, in 1962.

Jerry and Marilyn moved to Burlington, lowa soon after marriage, where Jerry served four years as a schoolteacher, six years as Principal at Lincoln and Corse Elementary, before moving on as Principal of Longfellow Elementary in Fargo, North Dakota. In 1965, the Bogener family moved to Lawrence, Kansas, where Jerry attained a Doctorate in Education. Upon graduation, Jerry drew a horizontal line across a map of the United States and vowed never to live in a place with appreciable snowfall. In the fall of 1967, Jerry began his career as a college professor at Texas A&I University (now Texas A&M University, Kingsville), later serving as Director of Continuing Education and Dean of the College of Education.

Jerry and Marilyn spent thirty-five years traversing the highways and byways of North America in various motorhomes and a Volkswagen van, which they drove to Alaska. Jerry was also an avid golfer, poker player, and captained his pontoon boat on the waters of Lake Mathis (Corpus Christi).

Jerry was preceded in death by his parents, Jasper and Lorena (Bohon) Bogener and two brothers, Ercel Lee Bogener and Ronald Wayne Bogener. He is survived by his wife, Marilyn, a younger brother, Teddy Jasper Bogener, two daughters, Jerri Kaye Deming (Skip Deming) and Lori Lloyd (Gary Lloyd), a son, Stephen Bogener, three grandchildren, Scott Sergent, Jason Sergent (Monica), Kelsey Doran, and four great- granddaughters: Claire Sergent, Harper Sergent, Hannah Sergent, and Maddy Sergent.

Jerry will be greatly missed as a husband, father, friend, mentor, and for his outsized influence over the hearts and minds of those he touched during a long, meaningful life.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date at home with family and friends to remember the remarkable life of Jerry.