Grace Arlene Wilkins lived in the shadows, yet her story is linked to one of America’s greatest famous cowboy entertainers’ childhood. Roy Rogers’ first wife, Arline (born Leonard Franklin Slye), had three children. Roy was known for radio, Western films, music, Trigger, and “King of the Cowboys,” but Grace wanted a quiet existence with her family.
Grace was outside the dazzling theatre lights while helping establish the family that supported Rogers’ quickly changing career. Her short existence was tightly tied to Roy’s rise from struggling musician to national star.
Grace Arlene Wilkins Childhood in Roswell
In Roswell, New Mexico, Grace was born on December 14, 1914. Her father ran a truck garden and plant nursery on East Second Street, where she grew up. The endeavour requires patience, practicality, and a close interaction with nature. That fits the sweet, soft-spoken, domestically-oriented woman later remembered.
Her father, Prentice Davidson Wilkins, was born in Texas in 1879. He farmed, gardened, and ran nurseries in Roswell for years. According to family documents, Lucy E. Cross Wilkins, her mother, was born in Texas and had New York and English roots.
Grace had a brother, Donald P. Wilkins. The 1930 census found Grace, her parents, and Donald in Roswell. Family life seems tight and local. Grace’s wedding attendants were her brother and his wife.
Grace was remembered as tall, standing about 5 feet 9 inches, with ash blonde hair and a calm manner. She could sing and play the piano, but she did not pursue a public career. Her musical ability became part of her private identity rather than a route to fame.
Meeting the Young Leonard Slye
Along with a travelling cowboy ensemble, Roy Rogers visited Roswell in 1933 as Leonard Franklin Slye. Early in his career, he struggled. A 1911 Cincinnati native, he spent part of his boyhood on a modest farm outside Portsmouth, Ohio. He rode, sang, played music, worked with animals, and performed at family dances.
After leaving school, Leonard worked in a shoe factory with his father. Later, his family moved to California, where the Great Depression forced him into a series of demanding jobs. He drove gravel trucks and picked fruit while trying to build a music career. His early professional groups included the Rocky Mountaineers, the International Cowboys, and the O Bar O Cowboys.
Grace and Leonard’s meeting is one of the family’s fondest memories. Grace reportedly told a local radio station she would make Leonard a pie if he sang “The Swiss Yodel.” Some accounts suggest lemon pies cooked with her mother’s aid.
The story has a homespun charm. Leonard was a traveling performer trying to find an audience, while Grace was a young woman in Roswell offering hospitality through music and baking. Their connection continued through correspondence after he left town. They wrote to each other for approximately three years as Leonard’s career developed.
Marriage at the Wilkins Family Home
Grace and Leonard married in Roswell on June 11, 1936, although some accounts give June 14 as the wedding date. The ceremony took place at the Wilkins family home and was performed by Reverend D. B. Titus of the First Christian Church.
Her brother Donald and his wife served as attendants. The setting was personal and familiar rather than grand. That detail reflects the private character associated with Grace throughout her life. Even as Leonard moved toward national recognition, she remained connected to family, home, and the community where she had grown up.
Leonard was helping form the Sons of the Pioneers when they married. First, he, Bob Nolan, and Tim Spencer were the Pioneer Trio. The group then took the better-known name and honed their style with close harmonies, yodelling, and Western storytelling.
Grace married a man with a busy career. The Sons of the Pioneers worked in radio, music, and film. Leonard also started acting. He became Roy Rogers in 1938 after Republic Pictures cast him in a prominent Western.
Grace and the Rise of Roy Rogers
After his 1938 debut in Under Western Stars, Roy’s career took off. His roles included singer, actor, radio host, and cultural icon. Trigger, his golden palomino, was almost as famous as him. His films celebrated courage, music, camaraderie, and the outdoors.
Grace did not seek out that public image. Her family recalls her disinterest in Hollywood attention and cowboy spectacle. She enjoyed homemaking and parenting. She occasionally joined Roy for personal appearances, although she preferred the privacy.
That disparity between them is one of the most interesting features of their relationship. Roy had audiences, stages, horses, and studio appointments. Grace had a quieter impact, like a lantern. She maintained his career as it moved and got more visible.
Multiple miscarriages made their children’s births unique. They adopted Cheryl Darlene Rogers, born June 6, 1940 in Dallas, in 1940 or 1941. While exploring, Roy saw the baby at Hope Cottage Children’s Home. Family said Cheryl smiled and grabbed his finger as other babies cried.
Grace and Roy later welcomed their first biological daughter, Linda Lou Rogers, on April 18, 1943. The family photographs from this period show a household growing during the height of Roy’s early film career.
The Children of Grace and Roy Rogers
| Child | Birth information | Family history |
|---|---|---|
| Cheryl Darlene Rogers | June 6, 1940 | Adopted by Grace and Roy and later known as Cheryl Rogers Barnett |
| Linda Lou Rogers | April 18, 1943 | The couple’s first biological daughter |
| Roy Rogers Jr. | October 1946 | Known as Dusty and born shortly before Grace’s death |
Cheryl became an essential Rogers family storyteller. She recounted her childhood in Cowboy Princess and Rides Again. Growing up, she participated in her father’s enterprises, the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum, Western heritage events, and charity activities.
Cheryl says Grace was a wonderful mother, but Grace’s health issues damaged the family early on. Because Grace was sick, Roy worked with Cheryl often.Dale Evans parented Cheryl and the kids after Grace died.
Linda Lou grew up within the expanding Rogers family legacy. Compared with Cheryl, she has maintained a more private public profile. Her childhood belonged to the period when Roy Rogers was becoming one of the best known Western stars in the United States.
Roy Rogers Jr., often called Dusty, was born in late October 1946, with October 28 frequently given as his birth date. His birth was followed by a devastating loss.
Grace Wilkins Death in 1946
Grace died in Los Angeles on November 3, 1946, at the age of 31. She suffered complications after giving birth to Roy Rogers Jr. Accounts commonly describe an embolism or blood clot, sometimes associated with a cesarean delivery.
Her death occurred days after Dusty’s birth. Roy had three small children while his career was booming. Death devastated the family for decades. Dusty later preserved his father’s legacy and Grace’s family history.
Grace was buried as Arlene Rogers. Arlene and Arline are the same woman, although their differences in documents have caused confusion. She died before Roy’s marriage to Dale Evans became one of Western entertainment’s most famous.
Roy married Dale Evans in 1947. Dale helped raise Cheryl, Linda, and Dusty, and the family later expanded through additional children and adoptions. Grace therefore remained part of the family story even after her death, remembered as the children’s first mother and Roy’s first wife.
The Wilkins Family Background
Grace’s family helps explain the grounded atmosphere of her early life. Prentice Wilkins worked with plants, soil, and local trade rather than entertainment. Lucy Wilkins maintained the household and family relationships. Donald Wilkins remained part of Grace’s close circle and participated in her wedding.
The Wilkins home in Roswell was more than a location in the family record. It was where Grace married the man who would become Roy Rogers. It also represented the ordinary world she came from, a world of gardening, music, relatives, and community gatherings.
I find that contrast especially vivid. Roy Rogers became a national symbol of the West, but his first family home was connected to a New Mexico household where a young woman could make lemon pies, play piano, and welcome a traveling singer.
Grace’s Personal Achievements and Finances
Grace had no documented independent career in film, radio, or business. She did not become a celebrity in her own right, and there is no reliable record of a separate professional income or personal fortune.
Her achievements were domestic and deeply personal. She supported Roy during the uncertain years of touring and early recording. She helped create a home after the couple endured miscarriages. She became an adoptive mother to Cheryl and a biological mother to Linda and Dusty.
Roy’s performance profits helped the family financially. He worked in movies, radio, recordings, television, merchandise, and public appearances. Grace is not involved in independent financial enterprises. She kept the family together while Roy became more visible.
FAQ
Who was Grace Arlene Wilkins?
Grace Arlene Wilkins was the first wife of Roy Rogers, whose birth name was Leonard Franklin Slye. She was born in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1914 and was primarily known as a homemaker and mother.
When did Grace Wilkins marry Roy Rogers?
Grace and Roy married in June 1936 at the Wilkins family home in Roswell. The date is often recorded as June 11, although some accounts list June 14.
How did Grace meet Roy Rogers?
She met Leonard Slye in Roswell in 1933 when he was touring with a cowboy music group. She reportedly contacted a local radio station and offered to bake him a pie if he sang “The Swiss Yodel.”
How many children did Grace and Roy have?
They had three children. Cheryl Darlene Rogers was adopted, Linda Lou Rogers was their first biological daughter, and Roy Rogers Jr., known as Dusty, was their biological son.
When did Grace Arlene Wilkins die?
Grace died in Los Angeles on November 3, 1946, at age 31. She died from postpartum complications shortly after Dusty’s birth.
Did Grace have a career in Hollywood?
No independent Hollywood career is documented for Grace. She preferred private family life and supported Roy from the home while he developed his career in music and Western films.
What happened to Grace’s children after her death?
Dale Evans became their stepmother after marrying Roy Rogers in 1947. She helped raise Cheryl, Linda, and Dusty, and the Rogers Evans family later grew through further children and adoptions.
