Rose Marie von Niebelschutz

Rose Marie was born on October 26, 1932 in Grandvillard, Switzerland to Henri Augustin Currat and Bernadette Marie Currat (née Grandjean). She was the eldest girl in a family of nine children. In her 20s, she traveled and worked in England, learning the English language, as her mother tongue was French. When she returned to Switzerland, she worked in Lausanne and it was there that she met Christoph von Niebelschutz, who was from Germany, while he was working there. They were married and together travelled by ship to Montréal, Québec in 1959 where they welcomed their three children, Solange, Alexander and Nathalie.

In 1968 the family moved to Fort Frances where Christoph had accepted a teaching position. Rose Marie was a great hostess, cook and homemaker; she took great pleasure in welcoming friends for dinner parties, often preparing traditional Swiss meals. She was also an accomplished seamstress and knitter, and loved to spend time in her garden. Rose Marie was a long time resident of Fort Frances and was a member of St. Mary’s Parish for many years. After her children were grown, she returned to school. She attended Bemidji University, receiving her Bachelor of Arts Summa Cum Laude in 1985. She majored in English literature and was an avid reader of history, nonfiction and the classics. She had an extensive personal library of thousands of books.

Following her graduation, Rose Marie returned to Switzerland to work in Geneva, as she had missed her homeland and siblings. During that time, she visited her family in Fort Frances every Christmas and summer, going on many excursions with them in Canada and the US. After ten years, she retired and returned to live in Fort Frances where she loved her home and ‘Nana’ duties on Armit Avenue. In 2012, her daughter Solange retired to British Columbia and her daughter Nathalie’s family moved to Switzerland so Rose Marie spent four years in Toronto where her son Alex and daughter-in-law Lisa live, enjoying her beautiful apartment and the milder climate there. In 2016, she moved back to Fort Frances and lived at Columbus Place, devoting her time to family and friends.

Rose Marie loved to travel and explore the world. Her travel destinations were numerous, including trips to Greece, Kenya, Russia, and Portugal to name a few. She took much delight in the arrival of her grandchildren. ‘Nana’ was a great caregiver and her grandchildren were everything to her. She took her children and grandchildren to Europe on holidays, which created many happy memories. Rose Marie also loved to organize outdoor picnics with her grandchildren and spent her time knitting for them, reading to them and cooking delicious meals for them.

She leaves behind her children, Solange (Ray), Alex (Lisa) and Nathalie (Ken); her grandchildren Sarah, Laura, Peter and Greta; siblings Odile, Solange, Janine, Mireille and Giselle; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Rose Marie was predeceased by her parents, Henri Augustin and Bernadette Marie; the father of her children, Christoph; and siblings Marc, Violette and Albin.

A funeral mass was held at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church on Tuesday, January 29, with Father Alan Albao officiating. Rose Marie’s remains will be interred in the columbarium in her home village in Switzerland, next to her parents and three of her siblings.

Rose Marie, ‘Nana’, will be greatly missed, yet our cherished memories and love for her will live on.