Rose Marie Rufener Winters

Rosie was born in Vancouver, Washington on August 8, 1937 to Elmer and Marie Rufener. She was the second eldest of the four Rufener daughters. She is pre-deceased by her parents and her baby brother, Elmer Daniel who died in infancy. Rosie was raised on her father’s dairy farm where she learned how to ride horses, drive tractors and milk cows. Like her mother, Rosie was an excellent cook and loved to garden, especially enjoying bringing beautiful bouquets from the garden into the house.

Rosie graduated from Washington State University with a degree in education. She taught elementary and high school, taking time off to have her daughters, Kristina and Heidi, and retiring from teaching with the birth of her third daughter, Trude. While raising her family, she helped operate the family dairy farm near Mabton, Washington, with her husband of 28 years, Willard Winters. Always artistic and creative, it was here that she began raising sheep, spinning and weaving. She taught weaving classes out of her home and was an active member of the Fiber Arts Guild. She also was an avid photographer and developed her own prints.

Her artistic passions led to travel. She journeyed to Peru on a weaver’s trek where she hiked through the Andes to learn about Peruvian weaving. Bitten by the travel bug, she visited New Zealand, Australia, Costa Rica, Turkey, Egypt, Austria, Russia (when it still was the Soviet Union), Poland, China and many parts of North America. On some of these trips, Rosie traveled as a member of Washington State’s Agricultural-Forestry leadership group and on other trips, enjoyed skiing, biking and sailing with friends.

Always curious and adventurous, Rosie was willing to try new things. She took mountaineering classes, where she learned to climb glaciers and use an ice axe. She climbed Mt. Adams in her fifties. In her sixties, she joined a outrigger canoe team and actively competed. Later she joined the Audubon Society and had a passion for birding. Rose Marie kept beautiful records of her life’s adventures through her photographs and sketchbooks.

Rose Marie moved from Eastern Washington to the Long Beach Peninsula where she had wonderful childhood memories of her family taking “vacations” (a vacation from a dairy farm is rarely longer than a day). Here she built two homes. Her homes were inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture, a style she greatly loved and admired. She enthusiastically planned and corroborated with craftsmen to build her homes. In her final years, she took joy and solace in her view of Willapa Bay watching birds fly low over the tidal flats.

Rosie is survived by daughters Kristina Jacobs, Heidi Winters and Trude Winters Chin, sons-in-law Dan Jacobs, Pete Ohirko and Larry Chin, grandchildren Christopher and Rachel Hashim and Greta and William Chin; sisters Sharon Rufener, Donna Chronis and Marlis Rufener and many beloved extended family and friends.

She will be deeply missed.

A memorial service will be held at Acacia Funeral Home, 14951 Bothell Way, NE, Seattle, Washington, on March 9, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. Please join us then to celebrate Rose Marie’s life.

For those unable to make the memorial service on March 9th, a remembrance will be held at the Red Lion Quay in Vancouver, Washington, on Sunday, March 10, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. hosted by Rose Marie's sisters.

I Am Free

Don’t grieve for me, for now I’m free

to follow the path God made for me.

I took His hand when I heard Him call.

I turned my back and left it all.

I could not stay another day,

to love, to laugh, to work or play.

Tasks left undone must stay that way,

for I found peace at last, that day.

If my parting has left a void,

then fill it with remembering joy.

A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss,

oh yes, these things I too will miss.

Be not burdened with hearts of sorrow.

My wish for you is the hope of tomorrow.

My life’s been full, I’ve savored much,

good friends, good times,

a loved one’s touch.

Perhaps my time seemed much too brief,

don’t lengthen it now with undue grief.

Lift up your heart and share with me,

God wants me now --- He’s set me free.