Rosanna Lucy Lenker Battista passed peacefully this weekend at the age of 89, leaving behind a legacy of service, leadership, and unwavering devotion to others. Born at her family home in Irish Valley, Pennsylvania, on November 4, 1936, she was the quintessential oldest child of five and embraced that role with a deep sense of responsibility. Inspired by her father, a U.S. Marine who volunteered during World War II, she followed his example of service throughout her life.
Rosanna graduated from Shamokin High School in 1954, and earned her nursing degree from the Polyclinic School of Nursing in 1957. With both skill and a compassionate heart, she enlisted in the United States Air Force. She continued to excel, attending the School of Aerospace Medicine at Brooks Air Force Base and graduating in 1963. As a flight nurse, she provided lifesaving care in the air during moments that demanded courage and calm. She served with distinction until leaving active duty as a Major in 1968, later continuing her service in the Pennsylvania National Guard.
Her love of nursing and women’s health was the through-line of her life. Rosanna became a nurse midwife in 1974 and was a trailblazer in her field—a charter member and later President of the Nurses Association of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (NAACOG). She was deeply respected for her leadership, advocacy, and dedication to elevating her profession. She volunteered and served in numerous organizations, including the March of Dimes, Tri-County Planned Parenthood, PA Blue Shield’s Professional Advisory Council, the American Legion, and committees at the Milton Hershey Medical Center and the College of Medicine at Penn State University. She enjoyed Nittany Lion football and remained active in the Beta Sigma Phi sorority.
In August of 1980, she married the love of her life, Dr. Joseph Battista. Rosanna was a devoted wife, and together they enjoyed a life of friends and family, music, Italian cooking, and evenings at the Moose Fraternal Lodge. She was a loving and dedicated aunt to her many nieces and nephews, and a fiercely loyal sister. To know Rosanna was to admire her strength, generosity, and persistent faithfulness—whether to her family, her patients, her profession, or her country. She was always quick to offer sound advice, a cup of tea, a listening ear, or her honest perspective.
Rosanna is survived by her husband, Joseph, of Harrisburg, PA; sisters Doris Gargie (Rick) of Irish Valley, PA, and Shirley Kautter (John) of Harrisburg, PA; sister-in-law, Jeanne Lenker of Mechanicsburg, PA; and brother-in-law, William Stape of Mansfield, MA. She was preceded in death by her parents, Helen (McFall) and Herbert Elmer Lenker, Sr. of Irish Valley, PA; her loving sister Helen Mae Cooper and her husband, Edwin of Irish Valley, PA; her beloved brother Herbert “Patrick” Elmer Lenker, Jr. of Mechanicsburg, PA; and her sister-in-law, Marie Stape of Harrisburg, PA.
Rosanna’s passing leaves a profound void, but her legacy endures in the lives she shaped, the families she supported, and the communities she uplifted. A celebration of life will be held on November 25th (11:30 AM) at Neill Funeral Home on Derry Street, followed by an interment at Fort Indiantown Gap in Annville (2:30 PM). In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the American Legion Lawnton Post on Derry Street in honor of Rosanna’s lifelong commitment to service to others.
