Sad news came today from Pennsylvania as Joanne Rogers, widow of Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood fame, has passed away at the age of 92.
Born as Sara Joanne Byrd in March 1928 — the same month Fred Rogers was born, actually — Joanne Rogers was a classically trained acclaimed pianist who studied under Ernst von Dohnányi, renowned Hungarian-American composer pianist. She also performed professionally with college life-long friend Jeannine R. Morrison as the Rogers-Morrison Piano Duo playing around the country and recording two albums.
She was involved in Fred Rogers’ first TV series The Children’s Corner for PBS/WQED while teaching at Chatham College’s Preparatory School. She also taught music several years at Carlow College in the 1970s.
Fans of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood might note that “Queen Sara” was named after Fred Rogers’ wife. The Rogers family had two sons, James and John, and the entire family would show up in the Neighborhood at one time or another.
In the year’s following Fred Rogers’ death in 2003, Joanne was the spokesperson for his legacy. She graciously and generously made herself available to his body of work, his production company, and his mission. She even made a cameo appearance in A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood which starred Tom Hanks; if you spot her, you will also see David “Mr. McFeely” Newell in the same scene. Recent years have brought a large wave of Mister Rogers nostalgia including the wonderful documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor? and Joanne Rogers participated in many of those things.
“With a heart of gold, she had a spirited and most positive attitude, and a wonderful sense of humor with a recognizable bountiful laugh. Joanne loved the performing arts and was prominent in the music communities of Pittsburgh and Latrobe,” Fred Rogers Productions said in a statement. She will most certainly be missed.
Photo credit: Fred Rogers Productions
