Thomas Ramsey Rogers of Rockville, Md., died March 10 after a long illness. He was 61.

He was a loving husband, devoted father and loyal friend. His sense of humor and friendly smile will be sorely missed.

Tom was born in Stamford, Conn., on Sept. 16, 1959, and spent his early years in Pelham, N.Y. He moved to Tampa, Fla., as a teenager, and headed to Auburn University for college. Since the age of five, his summers have been spent on his beloved Martha’s Vineyard. He had been a member of the Vineyard Haven Yacht Club since he was little and enjoyed sailing, tennis and activities there throughout the years.

Most of Tom’s career was spent in medical and legal sales, in addition to several years as an investment advisor. More recently, he combined his love of cars and photography into a wonderful hobby, traveling to many Concours’ d’Elegance shows around the country and photographing beautiful antique cars. He also loved to photograph the Vineyard, in all its beauty, including the sailboats and races on Vineyard Sound. He published a Vineyard calendar for several years that sold in stores across the Island.

Tom became a christian as a teenager and always had a heart for sharing the gospel with teens. It was his hope that his battle with cancer would inspire faith in others.

He was predeceased by his parents, Lippy Reade and Bob Rogers, and stepfather Ed Reade. He is survived by his wife, Melissa; his daughter Leigh Ann Whaley and her husband Blake; sisters Robin Kirkpatrick and her husband Tim, and Betsy MacMillan-Turcotte and her husband Edward, and step-siblings Ned Reade, John Reade and Kate Rosenblatt; as well as several cousins, nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held on April 24 in Maryland at 2 p.m. Attendance is by invitation only; the service will be livestreamed for those unable to attend. (The link is https://vimeo.com/527974535/103fbb8707)

Donations can be made to FOCUS ministry at https://infocus.org (one of his favorite organizations).