Rose Speaks

As most of you know my mom was sick for the last year or so with a terminal illness, lung cancer. She lost her battle on December 3, 2010, she is survived by her only child Karen, her husband John, & their granddaughter Jasmine who were very fortunate to be able to share the last year with her in Florida. Even though at times we thought we had to referee between Jazzy & her. My mom was one of the kindest persons I have ever met. She had a sense of humor that sometimes shocked me when looking at it from a daughters perspective, she loved to have fun and was very sociable. There was many a good time had on the back porch of her home. She was born at home on June 24, 1923. Small enough to fit into a dresser drawer & kept on the oven door to keep warm. She fooled most of us her real name was, Rosie. She was the youngest of 5 children. Her parents had come to this country from Yugoslavia. She lived her childhood & early adulthood in Claypool, AZ. She worked as a telephone operator, bookkeeper, & office manager. While working at the Greyhound depot in Globe she met my dad. They were married 55 years. They were transferred all over the southwest almost exclusively in Arizona, till they finally settled down in Pinetop. She tried taking up golf, but settled into honing her culinary skills. My dad had planted a garden & I can remember her many bakery items she baked to just try & thin out the harvest. But the vegies kept acomin'. She is also survived by her granddaughter, Kim & as mentioned before great-granddaughter, Jasmine; Eleanor Gregovich, Francine Benton, Carolyn Turpin; nephew, Don Caldwell and sister-in-law, Margie. I never knew a person who was so willing to set their life aside to help someone else deal with the problems in theirs. She & my dad drove up and down the hill many times to help me out, my aunt or anyone else whether they needed long term care or not. So the 10 months that she stayed with us in Florida, I felt as if I was giving back somewhat. Rosary is being said Thursday, Dec. 9 2010, at 10:00 at St. Mary of the Angels Catholic Church to be followed immediately by the funeral mass at 10:30 and a reception to be held at St. Joseph Family Center. The Committal service and entombment will be 12 Noon on Friday, December 10, 2010 at St. Francis Catholic Mausoleum 2033 N. 48th Street, Phoenix, Arizona.