James "Wiisin" Rogers, 48, of Cass Lake, died Sunday, March 23, 2008, in Cass Lake.
The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Cass Lake Facility Center in Cass Lake with spiritual leader Bill Butcher officiating. A wake will begin at 5 p.m. today at the Cass Lake Facility Center and will continue until the time of the service. Burial will be in the Oak Point Cemetery in rural Cass Lake. The direction of the Cease Family Funeral Home of Bemidji assisted the family with arrangements.
Active pallbearers will be James Martin, George Wind, Stacy Smith, Terry O'Connor, Vince Lowry and Lawrence "Boy" Hart. Alternates are Marvin Rogers and Bobby Kuykendall.
Honorary pallbearers will be Matt Hunt and Wii-Sin's Crew, the Boys.
He was born Jan. 3, 1960, to Leroy "Gee-Wiss" Smith and Dorothy Rogers Whelan in Cass Lake. He was raised and attended school in Cass Lake. He graduated from the Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School and went into the U.S. Navy. Upon discharge from the Navy in 1980, he returned to Cass Lake. He had numerous jobs in the area and attended the Leech Lake Tribal College in 2003-4 while he worked as a technician at Detox.
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He is survived by his daughter, Jackie Rogers Beaulieu of Minneapolis; brothers, William Whelan of North Platte, Neb., and Thomas "J.R." Smith of Chicago; sisters, Pam Smith of Cass Lake and Clarinda Ramage of San Diego, Calif.; one aunt; two uncles; and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Cheryl Smith; grandparents; and numerous aunts and uncles.
