Loretta Anne Rogers ( Robinson; April 13, 1939 – June 11, 2022) was an English-born Canadian businesswoman and philanthropist who was a director of Rogers Communications. She was the wife of Ted Rogers, the company's founding president and CEO. In 2015, ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

'' estimated her net worth at US$5.5 billion.

Personal life and family

Rogers was born on April 13, 1939, in London, England. She was the younger child and only daughter of Roland Robinson, 1st Baron Martonmere, and wife Maysie Gasque (died 1989). Her father was a British

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

politician who was granted the hereditary title of Baron Martonmere in 1964. He served as

Governor of Bermuda The Governor of Bermuda (fully the ''Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Somers Isles (alias the Islands of Bermuda)'') is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Bermuda. For the purposes of this a ...

from 1964 to 1972. Her mother, Maysie Gasque, was an American with ties to F. W. Woolworth Company through her uncle-in-law

Hubert T. Parson Hubert Templeton Parson (September 18, 1872 – July 9, 1940) was an American businessman who served as president of the F. W. Woolworth Company. Early life Parson was born on September 18, 1872, in Toronto, Ontario. He was a son of Eliza S. (n ...

, who served as Woolworth's president; thus making Gasque an heiress to the Woolworth fortune. She married Ted Rogers on September 25, 1963. Together, they had four children: Lisa,

Edward Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...

, Melinda and Martha. Rogers held a

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases. Background The Bachelor ...

degree from the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

. She has received honorary doctorates from the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by resident ...

Ryerson University Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public university, public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Garden District, although i ...

, and the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

. Rogers died at her home in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

on June 11, 2022, at the age of 83.

Rogers Communications

Rogers had served as a non-independent director of Rogers Communications Inc. since December 1979. She was also a director of Rogers Media Inc., Rogers Telecommunications Inc., Rogers Cable Inc., and Rogers Wireless Communications Inc. Rogers' only son,

Edward Rogers III Edward Samuel Rogers III (born June 22, 1969) is a Canadian businessman who serves as the chairman of Rogers Communications. He is also the chairman of the Rogers Control Trust, which controls the majority of the voting shares of Rogers Commun ...

, is the chairman of Rogers Communications and the Rogers Control Trust, which controls the majority of the voting shares of Rogers Communications. Her daughter Melinda Rogers-Hixson founded Rogers Venture Partners, the technology investment arm headquartered in San Francisco. She is the vice-chair of the Rogers Control Trust.

Philanthropy

With her husband, Ted Rogers, she established the Loretta A. Rogers Chair in Eating Disorders at Toronto General & Western Hospital, part of the University Health Network, where she served on the foundation board from 2005, and where the Ted Rogers and Family Chair in Heart Function was established in 2009. This was complemented by the Ted Rogers Centre of Excellence in Heart Function in 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, Loretta 1939 births 2022 deaths Canadian billionaires Female billionaires Businesspeople from Toronto Canadian women philanthropists Canadian women in business Canadian socialites Canadian philanthropists Daughters of barons University of Miami alumni