Rosemary Ruth Wucherpfennig

Rosemary was born in Leipzig, Germany on January 29, 1925, the daughter of Hans Siegert and Lisbeth Siegert, nee Robbenack. She had two brothers, Rolf and Janko, and two sisters, Bärbel and Ute. As a young child and teenager she lived through the horrors of Nazi Germany and survived the traumatic allied bombings of Leipzig in 1944 (her family lost everything as well as her younger brother Janko). After the war ended and Leipzig became part of the Soviet zone, she fled with her future husband, Daniel Nowosselsky, who was from Sofia, Bulgaria, to Munich, in western Germany. In 1950 she and her husband Daniel emigrated to the USA, being stateless, sponsored by Daniel’s half brother, Nick, who resided in Sharon, Wisconsin. He had emigrated to the US from Bulgaria as a young man in search of a new life. As many immigrants did at the time, Rosemary and Daniel americanized their last name to Nowell. Neither spoke English when they arrived in the USA and had only few personal possessions.

After a short period in Sharon, Rosemary and Daniel moved to St. Louis, Missouri, in search of employment. There they raised two children, Phyllis and Elson. Rosemary was employed as a seamstress, which occupation she continued until her retirement. Daniel unfortunately passed away in 1986. Rosemary remained in St. Louis, until she married her second husband, Helmut Wucherpfennig, of Sun City West, where the couple resided after their marriage in 2000.

Rosemary loved to travel and did so extensively throughout Europe and the USA through the years. She was very active in the German community of St. Louis. She loved family game nights and also enjoyed visiting Casinos locally, as well as in Laughlin, with family and friends. She had many lucky streaks on the slots, her favorite game.

Rosemary was preceded by her loving husband of 23 years, Helmut, who passed away in July, 2023.

She is survived by her son, Elson Nowell and her daughter, Phyllis Wheeler, her grandchildren, Karla, Jonathan and David, and her great grandchildren, Eva, Dexter and Dean.

Rosemary lived a long, eventful and interesting life, and we not only celebrate her life, but her tenacity in pursuing her American dream. She was valued by her friends and neighbors as the "nice German lady“, but Rosemary was also a "tough cookie“ and accepted and dealt with life, in all its facets, as it came.

She will be truly missed and she will always be in our hearts and in our thoughts. May she rest in peace!

The Nowell and Wucherpfennig-Stanley Families.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.sunlandmemorial.com for the Wucherpfennig family.