Photo: Gofundme
For the family ofAudra Mary Rogers, July 5, 2021 was the most tragic day of their lives.
Rogers, a mom from Northport, Alabama, loaded her four young boys into her Honda Pilot. As she was driving, a Volvo crossed the center line and headed straight toward her. Although Rogers attempted to evade the oncoming vehicle, she was struck head on.
Rogers, who was pregnant at the time of impact, was pronounced dead at the scene. Her four sons were injured.
Katie Bramlett
For her loved ones, the pain of losing Rogers is almost unimaginable. An accomplished bodybuilder, she was a three-time state record holder in powerlifting. Vivacious and outgoing, she was a beauty queen who held the title of 2021 World’s Ms. Alabama Tourism.
But Rogers' accomplishments paled in comaprsion to her devotion as a mother to her four sons, Roman, Reed, Rawley, and Rhett.
In an essay written for PEOPLE, Rogers mother, Katie Bramlett, remembers her daughter.
Strong, Inc. 24 Hour Gym Facebook
Audra was a brilliant, beautiful light full of kindness, energy, love and joy. As her mom, I knew how special Audra was, how special she made me feel. What a wonderful daughter and best friend she has always been for me.
But there were things I didn’t know about Audra until after her accident. I didn’t know the number of lives she touched over the years. I didn’t know the people she inspired. I didn’t know the impact she had on her world.
After Audra was killed, our family got hundreds and hundreds of messages, telling us how Audra had had touched their lives. People from all over the country shared how she inspired them to get healthy – even providing regular encouragement. Even her second-grade teacher reached out to recall her bright smile.
But one post in particular touched me. A girl from Audra’s junior high school reached out and said she would never forget Audra because when she was new at the school, she was eating lunch alone because she didn’t know anyone. She looked up and said she saw this pretty girl with a huge smile crossing the lunchroom. Audra sat down and had lunch with her so she wasn’t alone and Audra was her first friend.
Audra cared about others. She volunteered at a nursing home in 10th grade as part of a class assignment. She went on Sunday afternoons and read the newspaper and played games – bingo was their favorite – with the residents. But something happened when she had fulfilled her class requirements: she kept going. I asked her why, and she said because she loved the residents. SHe volunteered there for several years.
Audra was a first responder, a respiratory therapist. She loved taking care of people and loved working with her co-workers. Audra loved laughing and her smile was infectious. She had a hilarious sense of humor. Such a quick wit.
Audra documented everything in pictures. Every year, they got tuxedo pictures right before Christmas as a family. After her death, the only things in her fire proof safe were pictures; they were her treasures. We had tuxedo pictures done this past fall of the boys. I know Audra would be so happy that the tuxedo tradition will be continued.
I miss our endless phone calls, texting all day and our meme wars on Facebook. I miss my daughter. I am left with a lifetime of memories – and I realize how precious those memories really are.
source: people.com
