Former District Judge Suzanne Blaschak-Rogers remembered for fairness, professionalism

District judges in Pennsylvania aren’t required to be lawyers to serve on the bench.

But Suzanne Blaschak-Rogers always made sure she understood the letter of the law before making decisions that affected the lives of the people who appeared in her courtroom during the three decades she served as a judge for the magisterial district that covers West Deer, Hampton and Richland townships.

Suzanne Blaschak-Rogers, of Butler, died Monday, March 20. She was 71.

District Judge Tom Swan, who won the seat after Blaschak-Rogers decided not to seek reelection in 2015, said that, while he didn’t know her well, he gained insight about her approach to the job when he took over.

“She took copious notes about cases and had all these law books for reference,” Swan said. ” You don’t have to be a lawyer to be a magistrate, so she wanted to make sure that didn’t become an issue. She made up for it by studying and learning as much as she could. I still have those books on my bench.”

Swan said Blaschak-Rogers was known for having “a really big heart.”

“She knew when to be tough and when it wasn’t necessary, and always held herself to a very high standard,” Swan said.

Blaschak-Rogers was a native of Harrison and lived in West Deer. She was a 1969 graduate of the former West Deer High School. She later moved to Portersville and then Butler.

Before winning a seat as a district judge, she worked as a secretary for a district judge in Allegheny County for 16 years.

District Judge Carolyn Bengel, who presides over cases from Brackenridge, East Deer, Fawn, Harrison and Tarentum, said Blaschak-Rogers was “a colleague, a friend and a valued member of the judiciary.”

“If there was ever a question or something she didn’t know or understand, she would research everything before making a decision,” Bengel said. “She was by-the-book and very conscientious about doing the best job that she could.”

That Blaschak-Rogers didn’t attend law school wasn’t a hindrance to her, Bengel said.

“She knew the law and always worked hard to keep up to date when things changed,” Bengel said. “But the most important thing about her was that she was fair, which I believe is all that people want. She understood that even if someone lost a case, it was important for them to have their day in court.”

District Judge Cheryl Peck Yakopec said she got to know Blaschak-Rogers when they attended the required annual training sessions in Harrisburg.

“Women district judges are a small sorority, so we got to know each other pretty well while spending a week each year together in training,” Peck Yakopec said.

Peck Yakopec said the dozen years Blaschak-Rogers worked as a secretary in a district judge’s office served her well when she was elected to the bench.

“Common sense and fairness are very important to this job,” Peck Yakopec said. “But the on-the-job training she had from working in a judge’s office gave her valuable experience because she already knew how things worked when she got there.”

Peck Yakopec described Blaschak-Rogers’ approach to the job as “very professional.”

“She was effective as a judge because she knew the law and was a very understanding and compassionate person,” she said.

Blaschak-Rogers is survived by her husband, Malcolm “Skip” Rogers; a stepson, M. John Rogers of Evans City; and her sister, Mary Blaschak of West Deer.

A private burial ceremony was held Wednesday, March 22, in Mt. Union Cemetery, Portersville.

Donations in her memory can be sent to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.