Rosemary Brat

Rosemary Elaine Brat, 64, of Fredericksburg, Virginia passed away on Thursday, May 17, 2018 due to complications following surgery while battling cancer. She was born in the Women’s Hospital of Detroit to Morley and Nellie Gleason and enjoyed a healthy and happy, if somewhat mischievous childhood, in Hazel Park, Michigan with her three siblings, Patricia, Michael, and Kenneth. She graduated from Warren High School in 1971 and went on to study at University of Michigan and Michigan State University receiving a BA in Social Work from MSU in 1975- a degree that allowed her to help many others in her 25 years of employment. She married the love of her life, Jürgen Brat in 1978 and gave birth to their only child Kirsten in 1982. Rosemary made a point to find the good in everyone and took everything to heart, bearing other’s pain and joy as if it were her own. She was a poet, relationship counselor, and moral compass who had the gentlest way of nudging her listener to do the right thing. Over the years she served as Sunday school teacher, Girl Scout troop leader, volunteered with Meals-On-Wheels, attended countless church committee meetings, built houses with Habitat-for-Humanity, hosted a foreign exchange student, and offered her time and resources for the betterment of society in many other ways. She was a devoted and creative mother and an affectionate and faithful wife. Her grandkids, Rosie, Benji, and Lela will remember her for homemade playdough, baking sugar cookies together, inventive craft projects and encouraging words. Her daughter Kirsten will remember her for beautifully set dinner tables with delicious homemade food, expert thrift-shopping skills that benefitted the grandkids mostly, and family camping trips along the Great Lakes. She enjoyed her life in Fredericksburg: building friendships with her neighbors, attending Bible study at Hillcrest United Methodist Church, and visiting Virginia’s natural wonders with a special love for Mount Rogers in the Grayson Highlands and Shenandoah National Park. She is survived by her husband, Jürgen Brat; her daughter, Kirsten Yohe; her sister, Patricia Meola; her brother, Michael Gleason; her brother, Kenneth Gleason; son-in-law Matthew Yohe and grandchildren Melody (Rosie), Benjamin, and Lela. She was preceded in death by her father, Morley Gleason and mother, Nellie Gleason. A funeral service will be held at 11:00am on Monday, June 18, 2018 at Hillcrest United Methodist Church with a reception to follow. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Hillcrest UMC Building Fund, 2208 Lafayette Blvd., Fredericksburg, VA 22401.