Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Lost Their Baby Girl With Down Syndrome, Then Adopted a Multi-racial Family

Getty Images | MIKE NELSON

Roy Rogers and Dale Evans lost a baby girl with Down syndrome in 1952, and the tragedy resonated through the rest of their lives. The Rogers-Evans household, however, was also transformed by compassion when the iconic couple decided to open up their home to four adopted children.

Dale Evans and Roy Rogers in "Wild West" costumes, waving as they arrive at London Airport on Feb. 10, 1954 ©Getty Images | Douglas Miller/Keystone

Singer and actor Roy Rogers, the “King of the Cowboys,” was one of the most popular Western icons of his era. Texas-born Dale Evans, a former secretary-cum-professional singer, stepped into the world of acting after her singing career landed her a contract with 20th Century Fox.

The couple married on New Year’s Eve in 1947. They co-starred in numerous motion pictures and two television series, but together they were known for their charitable natures just as much as for their prime-time entertaining.

American actress Dale Evans photographed posing in a "Wild West" outfit in 1945 ©Getty Images | Keystone

Rogers and Evans cared deeply about children. They eventually had nine, including one biological child of their own, four children from their previous marriages, and four adopted children.

The story of the couple’s adopted children, however, was born of tragic circumstances.

Roy Rogers arriving with his horse, Trigger, at Northolt Airport on March 20, 1954 ©Getty Images | Meager/Fox Photos

Evans gave birth to a baby girl, Robin Elizabeth Evans-Rogers, on Aug. 26, 1950. Robin was born with Down syndrome and a heart defect. Her parents were even encouraged by doctors to give her up, but they refused.

Their daughter Cheryl explained why in conversation with Closer Weekly in 2018. “Doctors said to put [Robin] in a hospital and visit her as little as possible because she’s never going to know you,” Cheryl said.

Rogers holding the arms of his wife in a photoshoot on Feb. 10, 1954 ©Getty Images | Monty Fresco/Topical Press Agency

“Mom and Dad said God had a reason to give them Robin, and they brought her home,” Cheryl continued. “She was their baby.”

Sadly, Robin died from complications arising from the mumps just a few days before her second birthday. A year after losing her baby girl, Evans penned a memoir titled Angel Unaware: A Touching Story of Love and Loss.

“It was the first book a parent had ever written about having a child with a disability,” Connie Thrash McGoodwin, executive director of the Dale Rogers Training Center, told The Oklahoman. The Oklahoma-based center supports people with disabilities through paid vocational training.

“That was kind of a new concept,” McGoodwin continued, “and it was very empowering for parents. She was the first kind of big celebrity to come out and say, ‘This child is a blessing, not someone you want to hide in the back room.’”

After Robin’s untimely passing, Rogers and Evans decided to turn their tragedy into a blessing for others. In the following years, the couple adopted four children: Sandy, Dodie, Debbie, and a foster child named Marion.

“We had a Korean girl, a Native American girl, a gal from Scotland, so we were an international blended family which was unusual in the ‘50s,” the couple’s son Roy “Dusty” Jr. told Closer Weekly.

“Mom gathered us one day and said, ‘Look, you guys are going to have to love and respect one another,’” Dusty recalled. “‘No matter if you’re yellow, black, or white, you’re precious in God’s sight.’”

Unfortunately, tragedy struck the family twice more. Debbie was killed in a bus accident in 1964, and Sandy, then serving with the U.S. army in Germany, died in 1965 after a drinking binge, as per the Los Angeles Times.

Rogers and Evans being honored in Los Angeles for 50 years of advocacy work for children on Feb. 13, 1992 ©Getty Images | MIKE NELSON/AFP

Rogers and Evans retired to Apple Valley, California. Rogers passed away in 1998 of congestive heart failure. Evans died three years later from the very same affliction at the age of 88.

Many parents of children with Down syndrome have been inspired by the couple’s legacy. Indeed, many have been inspired to pursue adoption after Rogers and Evans’s “international blended family” touched million of hearts around the world.