Groups Plan Service to Honor Roy Rogers

A memorial service honoring the late Roy Rogers, who lived in Chatsworth with his wife, Dale Evans, from 1954 to 1965, will be held Saturday at the Pioneer Church.

Three Chatsworth-area groups--the Chatsworth Historical Society, Oakwood Memorial Park and St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Catholic Church--organized the service in response to calls from Valley residents, said Virginia Watson, curator of the Chatsworth Museum and member of the historical society.

Known as “The King of Cowboys,” Rogers died July 6 of congestive heart failure at age 86 and was laid to rest in Victorville.

“The big service for him in Victorville was wonderful, but we got calls from all over asking us if we were going to do something for them at Pioneer Church, where they were patrons,” Watson said. “It took awhile for this to get going, but we’ve planned a wonderful service for him.”

Scheduled to attend are relatives and family members of the late Rogers, she said.

As part of the service, guitarist David Arlen, who worked with Rogers for seven years, will perform with the St. Mary’s choir, Watson said.

The service, which is open to the public, will begin at 10:30 a.m. at the church, 22601 Lassen St., Chatsworth, on the northwest corner of Oakwood Memorial Park.

Following the service, the public is invited to view a Roy Rogers exhibit at nearby Minnie Hill Palmer Homestead Acre, 10385 Shadow Oak Drive, within Chatsworth Park South.

For more information, contact the society at (818) 882-5614.