Rose Ann Anderson

Rose Ann Anderson, 74, a retired civil servant with the VA hospital and beloved wife and mother of four, passed away in her home on the morning of March 4, 2022, after a nearly five year battle with ovarian cancer.

Rose Ann Speichinger was born on April 2, 1947 in Mendon, Missouri to Francis Philip Speichinger of Mendon and Agnes (Osterman) Speichinger of Salisbury. Rose Ann was the fourth of eight siblings: Dorothy Marie, Anthony Gerald, William Francis, Rose Ann, Mary Ruth, Eva Jane, Helen Agnes, and John Stephen. Rose Ann was baptized 18 days later on April 20, 1947 and remained a faithful Catholic her entire life. Her first Holy Communion was on October 17, 1954 at St. Boniface Church and her confirmation was five days later on October 22, 1954, also at St. Boniface. Her confirmation name was St. Louise.

Rose Ann graduated from Brunswick High School in Brunswick, Missouri in 1965. She attended Capital Business School in Jefferson City in 1965-66 and earned her IBM Certification in Data Entry. She moved to Columbia in 1966 and took a job with MFA downtown. Rose Ann was known for her love of country music, but most of all, she was the consummate travel bug. She loved to plan trips, to go places and see things, and in accordance with her truly selfless nature, often times paid to bring family members or friends along with her. She made it to 49 states – all but Alaska – and multiple countries, with several trips to Europe.

After MFA, Rose Ann took a job at the newly opened Veterans Administration hospital in 1974, where she worked full time until after all the kids were born. After that, she dropped down to part time so she could put her family first. She retired in 1999 after 25 dedicated years of service. After retirement, Rose Ann was unable to stay idle and enjoyed delivering mail to the workers of Boyce & Bynum for approximately 10 years.

While living in Columbia and sharing an apartment with her sister Eva, Rose Ann was asked to be the maid of honor at her sister’s wedding. The wedding was to take place on October 15, 1977. Her soon-to-be brother in law’s friend that attended that night just happened to be Max "Grant" Anderson of Columbia. Two months later, Grant and Rose Ann were engaged and four months later were married on the very easy to remember date of 5/6/78. Ten months later, they welcomed the first of four children, each two years apart: John William, Paul Raymond, Jeffery Grant, and finally, Rose Ann got her long awaited girl, Angela Ruth.

Rose Ann was truly a people person and was entirely focused on her family and friends. Her house was always open and welcoming to anyone that wanted to stop by. It was kind of like Grand Central Station and hub that everyone would operate out of whenever they came to Columbia. Rose Ann was especially happy to welcome her new daughter into her home when her oldest son John married his wife Katina “Katy” in 2010.

Rose Ann was one of those people that instinctively put others before herself, which made her a wonderful wife and mother. She loved sharing memorable experiences with the people she loved. Anywhere Rose Ann went, whether it be to church, to the casino, or across the country, she would be looking forward to the trip and the friends she would meet along the way.

Rose Ann’s memory will be forever cherished by her loving husband, Grant; her children: John (Katina), Paul, Jeffery, and Angela; her siblings: Anthony, Mary, Eva, Helen and John, as well as a host of extended family members and friends. In addition to her parents, Rose Ann is preceded in death by her siblings Dorothy and William.

The rosary will be prayed on Monday, March 14, 2022 from 9:30 AM to 10:00 AM at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 903 Bernadette Dr., Columbia, Missouri. Visitation will be held at the church from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM; followed by the Mass of Christian Burial with Monsignor Michael Flanagan presiding. Burial will take place at St. Raphael Catholic Church Cemetery in Indian Grove, near Brunswick Township, Missouri with a 3:00 PM committal service officiated by Father Boniface.

In lieu of flowers, the Anderson family requests memorial contributions be made to St. Raphael Cemetery, c/o Dennis Widhalm, 23205 Highway F, Brunswick, MO 65236 or online at https://diojeffcity.org/st-raphael-indiangrove/