A celebrated and sporting family from a tight-knit community said goodbye last week to two neighbourhood figures who died within a day of one another.Virginia “MamaGin” DeGraff, a centenarian from North Village, Pembroke, who walked to a variety of jobs at several hotels to support her family, died on August 13.Hubert Rogers, known as “Hubie” or “Jinks”, her son-in-law, died the next day after a lifetime defined by painting, a famous football score, and the Place’s Place bar on Dundonald Street in Hamilton.Ms DeGraff’s given first name, Agnes, was sometimes used by her late husband, Kenneth LeRoy “PapaRoy” DeGraff, whom she met at The Central School, now Victor School Primary School, in their neighbourhood on Glebe Road.But the mother of four’s nickname, bestowed by her grandchildren and known across the area, came from Virginia or “Ginny”.Carol Bean, one of her daughters, said: “She always saw the good in everyone. By the time you finished speaking with MamaGin about it, you saw it, too.“You never heard complaints from MamaGin, even in later years when she was declining. Whatever she needed to do, she would do it.”Ms Bean said her mother was “loving, caring, and calming”.She added: “When she spoke, you listened. She found a calm way of saying it.”Ms Bean said Ms DeGraff, the daughter of the late Daniel and Edith Place, “earned that shilling off her domestic skills”.She and her husband, or “PapaRoy”, married in 1940 and Ms DeGraff raised a family and put down roots in North Village — an area where neighbours got together every summer, hired a bus and held a neighbourhood picnic.Ms DeGraff, known for her flair with Bermudian cuisine, cooked food not only for her children and grandchildren, but also for anyone in need.Her husband, who went by LeRoy, was a founding member of the North Village Community Club.“MamaGin” was one of the few in the family not involved in sport, but supported those who were, in between long hours at hotels such as the Rosedon, the Belmont, Deepdene and the Bermudiana.Ms Bean said Ms DeGraff also worked at the DeGraff family bakery in the 1950s, known for beef pies, but was always home in time for her children.A family tribute said Ms DeGraff was a “cook, waitress, nurse and counsellor, not to mention the referee”.It added: “If we got hurt or had a problem, we all wanted MamaGin to fix it.”Children went to school in her knitted sweaters, and Ms DeGraff was keen on bingo, as well as the card game Pokeno, played every week with a circle of friends dubbed the Golden Girls.She celebrated her 100th birthday on March 11 with her family at her side.Mr Rogers, 80 and a father of six, died the morning after Ms DeGraff.Larry Rogers, his youngest son, said he was a painter to trade and “all-round handyman” who was meticulous about his work.Mr Rogers added: “Painting was his passion, and he was very particular about it. If he did work for you, you were guaranteed it would be the best.“There were no short cuts; he believed in doing everything right the first time.“We all learnt to paint from him. That’s because he made us paint the house every year. To this day, I can tell you my house gets painted every couple of years.”He said his father’s high standards meant he would hire only “the best of the best” for jobs, which included the now-gone department stores on Front Street of Trimingham’s and Smith’s.Mr Rogers was also known as a smart dresser and favoured quality colognes.He married Joan, his sweetheart from school, around Cup Match in 1958.The couple became keen travellers with their friends.Mr Rogers also loved riding his Vespa scooter as well as swimming and boating.He was part of the Donzi Club in the 1960s and 1970s, a group that put together their own boats, which placed well in the Round the Island Race.Mr Rogers started as a painter straight out of school and, along with tiling and electrical work, he learnt carpentry from Russell Leverock.His grandson, Jahdel, became his keenest apprentice in painting.Mr Rogers found work in the 1960s at Place’s Cafe as a bouncer and became a manager there before he rose to vice-president of Place’s Enterprises.He was among the founders of a monthly investment club, The Breakfast Club, in 1983, and members would take cruises and other trips together.His son said he had a devoted following at Place’s Place, where his near-daily attendance spanned 50 years — despite once being shot in the arm on Christmas Eve 1968.Mr Rogers said: “Everybody up there knew Hubie, and he offered advice to everybody. You could tell he touched a lot of people.“Family was truly the most important thing to him, and he would make you feel like family, no matter what.”Mr Rogers is revered for scoring the only goal in the match that delivered North Village Community Club their first trophy in the 1962-63 football season.His son said: “North Village was our team — and it is to this day.”Agnes Virginia “MamaGin” DeGraff, matriarch, was born on March 11, 1920. She died on August 13, 2020, aged 100.Hubert Adolph “Jinks” Rogers, master painter, handyman, was born on October 7, 1939. He died on August 14, 2020, aged 80.