Rose Marie Stricker

SHELTON, Wash. — Rose Marie Stricker, of Shelton, died peacefully on Aug. 19, 2013, at Grays Harbor Community Hospital.

Rosie was born to Joe and Jule Peterson on June 28, 1929, at the Ranger Station in Upson, Wis. She attended high school in Iron Belt, Wis., and graduated in 1946. She graduated from Ashland County Normal School with a teacher’s certification in 1948.

She taught for one year at Saxon (Wis.) Elementary School. Then she taught at the Duluth (Minn.) School District from 1948 to 1951. Later, after her youngest child Doug went to school, she received a bachelor’s degree in education in 1969 from Saint Martin’s College. She taught elementary school in the Aberdeen School District from 1969 until she retired in 1984. She was loved and well-remembered by many of her students.

Rosie married Edwin Stricker on Aug. 27, 1949. Rosie and Ed had a dance band in northern Wisconsin and played for local dances.

Rosie and Ed took teaching jobs on the Red Lake Indian Reservation on Red Lake in Minnesota. The family then moved to Milton-Freewater, Ore. Rosie said many times she always wanted six children.

Throughout their marriage, Rosie and Ed traveled with family and friends. In their travels, Rosie and Ed touched the lives of many people.

Rosie’s life was about family, friends, service and positive, fun times. She was very outgoing socially, building many long-lasting relationships, contributing to and leading remarkable gatherings, and showing respect to all people. She was often the life of the party, serving delicious themed foods, showing beautiful class in her stylish dress in the colors of royalty, bling and a myriad of carefully chosen shoes, and providing a positive, cheery and jovial atmosphere. She enjoyed cooking for her family and friends so much her kitchen had to be built into the party room. Her faith was that she has now taken the big step into an everlasting life of love with those lasting, heartfelt relationships. She loved to cook, dance, travel and read.

Rosie was an active member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Aberdeen and later at St. Edwards Catholic Church in Shelton. Rosie belonged to the Elks, Eagles and the Rambling Rhodies RV Club.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Edwin Stricker, on Nov. 18, 2006.

Rosie is survived by her sister, Julie Ann Hebert, of Puyallup; her six children, Joe, of Aberdeen, Hedy Schlaht (Gene), of Everett, Ken, of Kahaluu, Hawaii, Bill (Tina), of Olympia, Mark, of West Richland, and Doug (Debbie), of Everett. She was blessed with six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. She had many nieces and nephews.

The family requests that remembrances for Rosie be made to the Shelton or a local food bank in lieu of flowers.

There is a page for Rosie on the McComb and Wagner Funeral Home in Shelton website that friends and family are invited to visit, share and add to.

There will be a funeral service for Rosie at St. Edwards Catholic Church in Shelton at 11 a.m. on Sept. 14. There will be a celebration of her life at her home in Shelton following the funeral.

Inurnment will be in Upson, Wis., in the summer of 2014.