Helena Aileen Shaver-Rogers

Helena Aileen Shaver-Rogers danced her last dance and passed away peacefully surrounded by loving family on July 18, 2021 at the age of 93. She was born on August 10, 1927 in Oneonta, New York to Evelyn Pardee-Shaver and Harvey Shaver. Helena, fondly known as Helen by her family and friends, spent her summers in upstate New York and winters in Bonita Springs, Florida. Helen grew up in Oneonta and Laurens, New York. She attended elementary school in a one room school house which was located on her parent’s property in Butts Corners in the township of Laurens, NY. She graduated from Laurens Central School in 1944. After high school Helen moved to the Adirondacks and married her late husband, Raymond Rogers. She established her home in Lake Pleasant, NY where she and her husband owned and operated the Oxbow Lake Motel. She was a successful business owner and the hotel remains open today. Helen had a deep passion for genealogy and traced ancestral roots back 36 generations to the 15th century. After her late husband passed away, she spent her summers on the family homestead called Broadwater, located on the West Canada Creek in Ohio, New York. Helen was an avid gardener. She enjoyed preparing nutritious meals from her garden for her family and friends. She was most proud of the book “Through Poverty’s Vale” written by her great-great grandfather Henry Conklin which described the hardscrabble life of early settlers in upstate NY. Over the years, Helen hosted numerous family reunions at the Broadwater camp. During the winter months, Helen enjoyed spending time with her friends in Bonita Springs, Florida. She was always up for a good game of poker, pinochle, or bingo. She also loved a good bargain and making a buck in the community yard sale. Helen was quite a singer, violinist & dancer who would showcase her talent of tap dance in the annual talent show. She learned to tap and square dance in her grandmother’s dance hall, the Tumble Inn. Helen was predeceased by her husband Raymond Rogers, mother Evelyn Pardee-Shaver, father Harvey Shaver, and brother Whitney Shaver. She is survived by her beloved sister Bonnie Hrebinka, her nephew Tracy Shaver, wife Deborah, and their children Sydney, Delaney, and Chase; niece Kelly Pinter, husband Steven, and children Whitney and Lauryn; nephew Mark Hrebinka, wife Nadya, and their children Colin and Sava; nephew Dimitry, wife Ruth, and their children Taras, Vasili, and Jesse; niece Katharine Semovskih and her children Tikhon, Antonina, and Alexander; niece Helen Longale, husband Scott; nephew Timothy Hrebinka; step-niece Kim Nino, husband Paul, and their children Dylan and Tara; step-son John Rogers, wife Donna, and son Sean; step-son Henry Rogers, wife Geraldine, and their children Laurie, Michael and Cathy. In lieu of flowers and gifts, donations can be made in her memory to Imperial Bonita Estates, Co-op, 27700 Bourbonniere Drive, Bonita Springs, FL 34135. A celebration of life will be held in the Adirondacks at her beloved Broadwater Camp from 2:00-5:00 pm on September 5, 2021. Those who wish to share in this celebration are welcome to attend.