Rosemary Donaldson, lifelong resident of Jordan, passed away peacefully on May 31, 2021 at the age of 87.
A visitation will be held on Tuesday, June 8, 2021 from 4:00 – 7:00 PM at Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation (104 First Street West) in Jordan. Mass of Christian Burial is Wednesday, June 9, 2021 at 11:00 AM with visitation one-hour prior at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church (313 2 nd Street East) in Jordan. Father Neil Bakker will preside. Rosemary will be laid to rest with her beloved husband at Calvary Cemetery in Jordan.
On August 20, 1933, Rosemary Theresa Nelson was born to parents, Reissnor and Rose (Schmitt) Nelson. Rosemary was one of ten children, and she loved growing up in Jordan. She attended St. John’s Catholic School through the 8 th grade and then began working to help support her family. Rosemary enjoyed babysitting and providing daycare to local children. She loved children and babies, and she always had the special touch with them.
As a young woman, Rosemary met the love of her life, Wilbert Donaldson. Their love blossomed, and the two exchanged wedding vows at St. John’s Catholic Church in 1955. Their marriage was blessed with a wonderful daughter, Patty.
While Patty was young, both Wilbert and Rosemary worked outside the home. Rosemary spent several years at Mudbaden. She also worked in housekeeping at Valley View. Over the years, Rosemary also provided daycare for local families.
In 1973, Wilbert died suddenly. This was devastating for Rosemary, but she had a strong faith and supportive family that helped her through this difficult time. As a single mother, Rosemary worked very hard to provide a good life for her daughter.
Eventually, the family began to grow when Patty married Jim Stang, and they had three sons. Rosemary loved being a grandma. Matt, Chris & Joe brought so much joy into her life. And once the great-grandkids came, there was even more love to go around. Rosemary was always available to babysit or lend a helping hand.
Family was the most important thing in Rosemary’s life, but she had other interests too. She enjoyed walking around town, playing cards and spending time with her animals. Over the years she’s had dogs, cats, hamsters and birds. All of the family pets loved Rosemary because of her kind heart, and because she was quick to share table scraps. Rosemary was a talented artist and always kept her hands busy. She was skilled in needlework and enjoyed painting ceramics. Rosemary also loved doing puzzles and playing Bingo. She was usually very quiet and soft spoken, but she always seemed to find her voice to exclaim BINGO!
Rosemary was a kind, loving and caring woman. She never had much, but she was always so generous with what she did have. She set a wonderful example for her family and showed the endless love. She is survived by her daughter, Patty (Jim) Stang; grandsons, Matt Stang, Chris Stang, Joe (Amanda) Stang; great-grandchildren, Amy, Nick, Shelby, Autumn Rose; siblings, Mary Ann Hagg, Robert Nelson, Sheldon Nelson and Darryl Nelson; other loving relatives, in-laws, nieces & nephews, dear friends, many wonderful neighbors from the Schule Haus, and her beloved cats, Buttercup & Snowball. Rosemary was greeted in Heaven by her husband, Wilbert Donaldson; parents, Reissnor & Rose Nelson; siblings, Dorothy Nelson, Roger Nelson, Ted Nelson, Don Nelson and Eileen Nelson.
