The last family owned funeral home in Thurston County.

Rosemarie Wolfram was born on January 25, 1944 in Philadelphia, PA.  On April 12, 1949, her Aunt Mary and Uncle Peck (Francis) DuDevoir adopted her.  At that time they lived in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, later on they moved to Brown’s Mills New Jersey.

During her Junior and Senior year in High School she felt a calling to religious life, and on Labor Day 1962 she entered the religious order Les Soeurs du Bon-Pasteur de Quebec (Good Shepard Sisters of Quebec).  During this time, she attended college and served in several ministries within the order.  After seven years she left religious life due to health reasons.

For the next seven years Rosemarie lived in a variety of places, she first moved to Stamford CT and worked with the Stamford Housing Authority for several years.  She then decided to move to Santa Ana, CA where she worked at Smith-Corona Business Machines as a dispatcher for service technicians.

In 1975, Rosemarie decided to return to college (San Diego State University) with the goal of becoming a psychologist.  However, plans changed when she met her true love, Stanley, in a small Methodist Church in Chula Vista, CA, where she worked part time to supplement her college financial needs.  They met on February 8, 1976 at a Seminar on Death hosted by the church.  She invited Stanley on a date because she felt sorry for a lonely US Navy Submarine sailor in San Diego.  Needless to say, life changed rapidly as they were married on April 3 of the same year.  The submarine was reassigned to Bremerton, WA and there at her first doctors appointment at 8 months pregnant Rosemarie was found to be expecting twins (Sean and Jesse) and four years later daughter Marie.  Additionally, though separated due to military service and not part of the immediate family, Stan’s son Daniel and daughter Dawn from a previous marriage, became part of her extended family.

Since High School Rosemarie had a call to serve others through the church.  When she married Stanley, who was not baptized but was seeking Christ, she found a willing helpmate in her endeavors.  Though Stanley did not become a Catholic until 1979 they worked together in various ministries at Star of the Sea Church in Bremerton, WA.  This was the beginning of their 40 some years of serving the church together with a focus on the Sacrament of Matrimony. They served as a Team Couple in Marriage Encounter and later 28 years of presenting Engaged Encounter weekends and in-parish marriage preparation courses to Engaged Couples.  In 1995 Rosemarie became a staff member at Sacred Heart Church in Lacey WA and was responsible for Sacramental Preparation of families and individuals.  As part of this service, she was asked by members of the Hispanic Community within Sacred Heart for Spanish Language resources for ministries.  Rosemarie (as Rosemarie did in everything) did not just provide the requested materials, she got together with volunteers and leaders of that community and looked at the whole range of things they wanted.  She made it her personal goal to provide resources, training and encouragement so that community could truly blossom.  Within two years, the parish went from having a Spanish Mass once a month to having a Spanish Mass every Sunday and a Hispanic Community incorporated into the Life of the Church at Sacred Heart.  Rosemarie went to night school to learn Spanish, at this she was not overly successful, so she started to recruit bilingual volunteers and staff into her programs.  If you asked Rosemarie to go the extra mile, you better be prepared to walk 10 with her, because she would not stop until you knew not just the stuff asked but actually understood the why behind it, and in those who stayed the course she showed them the Holy Spirit alive in their endeavors.  From this she created teams that remained together for decades.

When Stan decided to retire early in 2012, Rosemarie decided she would also.  Stan enjoyed retirement, Rosemarie looked for places where she could serve and worked in the North Thurston School District for the next two years.  Then in 2014 she was asked to return to Sacred Heart as staff to train and guide people in the ministries she had been responsible for.

In June 2019, Rosemarie was found to have colon cancer and after surgery started her battle with cancer.  Still working at the church Rosemarie never wavered in her service to others, she never complained, never used her condition to stop what she was doing nor to limit what others wanted to do with her.  In May of 2021 Rosemarie “retired” for the last time.  As she told Stan at the time, she was frustrated that it took her twice as long to do things and she felt the church was not getting good value from her anymore.  The following year saw her still volunteering, and doing road trips with daughter Marie, and with Stan.  She went to youth football games and visited with numerous people until the week before her death.

As Stan reflected upon in the countless retreats and seminars they presented together that there was life before Rosemarie which was distinctly different than life after Rosemarie.

Rosemarie is survived by her husband of 46 years Stanley, children Sean (Sarah), Jesse and Marie, step-children Daniel (Tammie) and Dawn, “adopted” son Elijah Kim (Sue Yunsoo Jo) twelve grandchildren, one great-grandchild, a sister Theresa (Ted), brother Charles (Denise) and a large number of nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews.  Also, there is large number of men and women over many decades who have come to know her as Momma Rose and in their many goodbye’s at our house, wept tears of sadness and joy and a deep sense of gratefulness for her walking with them the extra mile.

Rosemarie passed away with her family and dogs by her side on October 4, 2022.  In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to Drexel House operated by Catholic Community Services.  Drexel House (360-753-3340 or on-line) provides Emergency Housing assistance for the homeless with a separate facility for homeless Veterans.  Rosemarie and Stan actively supported this ministry.