Rosemary R. Koontz

Rosemary Koontz

A very special limb fell from our family tree during the quiet morning hours of Monday, September 19, 2016. Before this limb could touch the ground, God’s holy hand lifted it to heaven and added it to His heavenly tree. This amazing limb was our mother, Rosemary Ruth Koontz. She was born December 2, 1924 in Cairo, Illinois and lived in Mishawaka, Indiana until her marriage to her high school sweetheart Bill Koontz in 1943, whom she has now joined in Heaven.

Her husband Bill was a bomber pilot in World War II, so much of their early life together was a reflection of their attempts to address the challenges of frequent base reassignments - and surviving on very little money. In addition to working long hours to support their economic needs, Rosemary lived in prayerful hope that her husband would return safely from Europe, which he did in April, 1944. Following the war, Rosemary and Bill were gifted with three children: Jeff who resides in Jonesboro; Randy who lives with his wife Annette in Tempe, AZ; and Alyssa whose home is in Greenville, SC.

As children of God, we are all gifted in different ways and Rosemary was gifted as our skilled culinary expert and family chef. She had a tremendous passion for food and cooking, and she thoroughly enjoyed the process of menu creation, food selection, and meal preparation. And our memories of those special meals continue to make our mouths salivate – especially the pies, cakes and other sweet creations that she prepared for us (but mainly for our Dad who loved sweets).

Our mother defined the word “class.” She exhibited a beautiful sense of class, was always kind, and routinely displayed a very warm and loving smile. Her sense of style was obvious in how she prepared herself each day for presentation to the world – her hair was always styled, her chic attire selections were always fashionable, and her love of life was always present in her beautiful, sparkling eyes. She was indeed a very special gift to us and to this world.

There was a very “fun” side to our Mom’s character. She always enjoyed a good party; she loved to square dance and clog dance with our Dad; she boldly participated in fast Arkansas mountain driving with our Dad in his Miata as part of the Jonesboro Miata Club; she embraced the opportunity to travel America’s highways with Dad; she loved to challenge him each day to Backgammon for money; and she always cherished a good glass of Chardonnay. In her later years, she loved to compete with her assisted living friends at Morningside of Jonesboro when playing beanbag baseball and video bowling.

In addition to being blessed with some very remarkable and loving friends, Rosemary and her husband Bill were gifted with five wonderful grandchildren (Keri, Christopher, Holly, Erich, and Becky) and eight very special great grandchildren (Jordan, Gunner, Kaylie, Parker, Wyatt, William, Liam, and Audrey), and a most special godchild, Meagan.

Our Mother had a strong faith in God, and her children want to acknowledge the significant spiritual comfort and growth in her faith that she experienced by being an active member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Jonesboro. She knew that her special life was a gift from God, and she cherished all 91.8 years! Although we will miss her in our lives, we are grateful that God loaned us such a precious Mother who had such a special soul.

Her children also want to express special appreciation and offer a heartfelt thanks to the Sartin family for providing amazing love and support for our Mom before and during her recent illness. They are truly gifts from God.

Your family and friends will always love you Mom.
?
A limb has fallen from the family tree.?
I keep hearing a voice that says, "Grieve not for me.?
Remember the best times, the laughter, the song. ?
The good life I lived while I was strong.?
Continue my heritage, I'm counting on you. ?
Keep smiling and surely the sun will shine through. ?
My mind is at ease, my soul is at rest.?
Remembering all, how I truly was blessed.?
Continue traditions, no matter how small.?
Go on with your life, don't worry about falls.
I miss you all dearly, so keep up your chin.?
Until the day comes we're together again.?
Author Unknown

A Memorial Services will be on Thursday, September 22, 2016 at 11:00 AM at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church with Rev. Hannah Hooker officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to service time with all services entrusted with Emerson Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Flo & Phil Jones Hospice House in Jonesboro, AR. http://stbernardsfoundation.org/campaign/hospice-house/