A woman walking along Center Road in Lyndeborough died after being struck by a car in the early hours of July 15, according to police.
Police say Debess Rogers, 60, of Lyndeborough, was walking northbound on Center Road at 2:38 a.m. when she was hit by a blue 2013 Dodge Ram. The driver immediately called police, according to the report.
“She was so loved, but I don’t think she was ever recognized for what she did,” said Pat Martin of Rindge. “And she never sought it. She was a humble person, but so intelligent, and so kind, with a great sense of humor.”
Rogers was reported dead at the scene, acccording to the report. There was no damage to the pickup truck and no injury to its driver, police said. Police did not disclose the name or any additional information about the driver.
According to a letter sent from the Rev. Barbara McKusick Liscord to the congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Milford, where Rogers was a member, Rogers and her husband, Guntis, were returning from a concert in Lowell, Massachusetts, when their car broke down a few miles from home.
Rogers was walking to pick up an alternate vehicle, while her husband, suffering from knee pain, waited with the car.
The letter identified the driver of the truck as a 17-year-old girl.
Further investigation is being handled by the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit.
State Police responded to the call. Also on the scene were Lyndeborough police, Lyndeborough fire, emergency response teams, and the state Department of Transportation.
Rogers was a community facilitator at Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center and was active in charities throughout the Monadnock and Greater Nashua regions.
Martin said Rogers was inspired to become a speech language pathologist after working closely with the late Jennifer Macintosh of Keene, who Rogers assisted while she sought her college degree. Macintosh, who died in February, had Cerebral Palsy.
“It’s just that so many things would not have been possible for Jennifer without Debess,” said Martin.
“Debess was the bread and butter of her being able to go to college.”
Macintosh’s mother, Jody Goode, said that the 15-year relationship that her daughter shared with Rogers was exemplary of her giving heart and patient spirit.
“With so many caregivers, it’s just a job,” said Goode. “But Debess was a friend.”
Rogers worked with Macintosh for 9 years in her capacity at Crotched Mountain, and was often in contact as a friend in the following 6.
“Debess had this huge hug,” said Goode. “She would just wrap you in her arms and make you feel safe. We in the family were so glad to have her in Jennifer’s life. The relationship she had with my daughter was amazing, and the fact that other people will not be able to benefit from the gift Debess had to give is a true tragedy.”
Rogers was active within her church, participating in Sarah’s Circle women’s spirituality groups, as a leader with the UUC’s partner church in Transylvania, Romania, and helped pilot a UU Ministry for Earth curriculum for teens and adults at her church.
Rogers had three children with her husband of 40 years, and several grandchildren.