Rosemary Melnarik

After a long and courageous battle with illness, Rosemary Melnarik heard, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you." Rosemary was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin to Herman and Sylvia VanDerven on June 22, 1929. She attended Saint Peter and Paul grade school and graduated in the class of '47 from East High School. On June 25, 1949 she married Leonard Melnarik, spending the first 25 years of married life in Green Bay. A major change in lifestyle took place in 1974 when Len and Rosie moved to a ranch in Darby, Montana. For the next 34 years, the Bitterroot Valley was home. Memories of her carrying the pail to the barn to milk Bessie the cow and joyful tunes played on the piano during the holidays are forever etched in the minds of her children and grandchildren. What pleased her most was to have her family nearby. In 2003, her beloved, Leonard, passed away. The last few years, Rosemary lived with her daughter, Peggy and family in Oregon. Rosemary departed this life on March 25, 2011. Through it all, Rosemary remained a faithful, committed Catholic and devoted wife and mother. She was preceded in death by her husband Leonard, and her son, Charles. She is survived by six children: Jane (Frank) Durso of Albuquerque NM, Barbara Gay of Jacksonville, FL, Lori (Thad) Butcher of Nashotah, WI, Peggy (Mark) Shrives of Creswell, OR, Mary (Lyle) Roybal of Idaho Falls, ID, and Joseph (Karin) Melnarik of Hamilton, MT. She was a proud grandmother of 25 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Rosemary's family would like to extend a special thank you to her adopted family of devoted caregivers who helped her immensely through her last years of life: Dawn Ponder, Brigid McMahon, Nicole Gates, Jessica Demers, Melissa Murphy and Megan Dietz. Mass requests may be made to St. Thomas Becket Catholic Church (P.O. Box 847, Veneta, OR, 97487).