Obituary of Robina "Robin" Rae Rogers

Robina "Robin" Rae (Behel) Rogers lost her fight with ALS on December 29, 2020 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.She was born August 11, 1954 in Wichita, Kansas to Ivan Leroy and Vivian Laure (Davis) Behel. Robin was the youngest of three children. When she was only five years old, her mother died and Ivan later married Leila "Lee" Francis Betts in 1966. Due to family circumstances, as well as Robin's father serving in the Air Force, the children lived in numerous locations, such as Wichita, Kansas; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Okmulgee, Oklahoma; Aurora, Colorado; Cheyenne, Wyoming; and finally Denver, Colorado. Through all of this, Robin discovered a love for dance and sports. When she was in the fifth grade, she began ballet lessons. In high school, Robin competed in gymnastics, and ran the mile in track. She was the first female to be inducted into the Cherry Creek High School 100 Mile Club! She also excelled in piano, clarinet, oboe, and percussion in the high school marching band, and the school orchestra.Robin attended college at the University of Northern Colorado where she majored in Physical Education/Kinesiology, and minored in Dance. In college she continued with gymnastics competitions, excelling at the regional level. It was there that she met Steve, also a gymnast, who excelled at the national level. They had many dates where they couldn't hold hands because they were ripped to shreds from gymnastics. Within two weeks of graduation, and after dating for three years, Robin and Steve were married. They immediately moved to Manhattan, Kansas, where Steve was a graduate student. Shortly after moving there, Robin got a position teaching high school physical education, coaching coed track and girls' gymnastics. In her spare time, she choreographed and directed the dance and twirl team, taking them to state competitions, placing first both years. This was quite a feat because it involved choreographing fifty-six dances each year. Her track team placed first as well, at the state level.In 1979, Steve took a job in Golden, Colorado, and Robin followed shortly after. During this time, she worked as Assistant Manager at Westridge Sports Club. She was proud of the fact that she introduced "dance aerobics" to the Denver area by facilitating clinics for future aerobic instructors.Robin and Steve began their family with the birth of Miranda Rae in 1981. Not long after, Steve accepted a position in Colorado Springs. Soon they added another daughter to their family, Kellina Gail, in 1984. Robin's priority was raising their daughters, so during this time she worked as an Aerobics Instructor part-time at the YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region. It didn't take long before Robin was certified as a Fitness Specialist and Water Aerobics Instructor. In 1992, Robin began working full time as the Aquatics Director at the Y. She also took on responsibilities as the Teen and Family Director. In 1996 she accepted the position of Associate Executive Director of the Downtown YMCA. Two years later, she became the Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters. This program grew and flourished under her direction until 2005, when she stepped down to care for her father. During this time, she started Mission Matters, and she began consulting other non-profits, assisting in board development and grant acquisition. In 2007, she was offered the position of Executive Director for the Colorado Springs Police Protective Association. Robin retired in 2015 when her illness prevented her from continuing her noble work.Robin will be remembered for her endless positivity and for her warm and caring heart. We love you, we miss you, and we will never forget you!She is preceded in death by her mother, Vivian (1959); her stepmother, Leila (1997); and her father, Ivan (2005).Robin leaves to cherish her memory her husband, Steve Rogers; and daughters, Miranda Rogers of Loveland, Colorado and Kellina (Ian) Gilbreth of Colorado Springs, Colorado.She is also survived by her brother, Ivan (Pat) Behel of St. Leonard, Maryland; sister, Kathy (Ron) Swope of Pueblo, Colorado; sister-in-law, Cathy Rogers of Greeley, Colorado; and brother-in-law, Don Rogers of Austin, Minnesota. Also dear to her heart are her nieces and nephews, Becky (Randy) Lawrence, Cindy (Tim) Francis, Wayne (Jaime) Swope, and Wade Swope.A private Memorial Service will be held at 1:00PM, Friday, January 8, 2021. The service will be streamed live. The link to watch the Memorial Service is located on Robin's Tribute Wall on The Springs Funeral Services website.Memorial contributions in Robin's memory may be made to the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the ALS Association, 10855 Dover Street, Suite 500, Westminster, Colorado 80021; to the Colorado Springs Police Protective Association, 516 North Tejon Street, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903; or to Project Angel Heart, 1625 W Uintah Street, Suite I, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80904. Events Memorial Service Friday, January 8, 2021 1:00PM Private Service - Live Stream Available Webcast Colorado Springs, CO 80909