Rosemary Clarke

Rosemary was born in St. Cloud, MN to Dr. Thomas and Rose Fleming. She was one of seven children. While attending the College of St. Benedict, she met her husband George and they were married in 1955. Upon graduation from college, she went on to become a registered dietician. She lived by her nutritional training and was not shy to counsel people about dietary choices, bestowing her knowledge of food and nutrition to her family and friends.

George and Rosemary began married life in Kansas City, where their four daughters were born. They moved to Duluth, MN in 1966 and stayed until 1997, when they moved back to Kansas City. In Duluth, Rosemary was a warrior at the bridge table and enjoyed golfing and lakeshore picnics with friends and family. Each summer she made a beautiful ruby red jelly from her raspberry bushes, and each fall she baked apple pies from her apple tree. She loved crossword puzzles and had a quick wit with everyone she met.

Rosemary’s personal qualities will be remembered by those who knew her. She instilled a love of knowledge in her children and encouraged them to learn all they could because “nobody can ever take that away from you.” Her German frugality and stubbornness contributed positively to her self-discipline and ability to endure the hard times with poise. She taught the value of money and how to get by with less. At times her refusal to plan or anticipate frustrated all of us. She would never commit so much as to what to have for dinner much less what activity to plan for the weekend. But at the same time, living without expectations avoided a lot of disappointment. It taught us to "cross that bridge when we come to it" and to “keep the faith; it isn't all in our control.” Another of her prudent adages was to “offer it up” when faced with hardship. In the end, Rosemary always put family first and had faith in God to guide her through life.

After many years of Rosemary’s devoted care, her husband George preceded her in death last April, 2014, as did her siblings Tom Fleming, Paul Fleming and Donata King. She is survived by her brothers Dr. Bob Fleming, St. Charles, MO; Joe Fleming, Virginia, MN; and Dr. Richard Fleming, San Luis Obispo, CA; her four daughters, Sharon Clarke, Overland Park; Patty Kleckner, Dallas, TX; Mary Therese (TC) Thacker (Dan) Seattle, WA; and Pauly Hart (Jeff) Leawood, KS. Rosemary dearly loved her eleven grandchildren: Tim, Peter, Jeff, and Paul Madison; Stephen, Dan and Erica Kleckner; Shannon and Ben Thacker; and George and John Hart.

The family would like to thank Crossroads Hospice for their compassionate support during Rosemary’s last years and especially throughout Rosemary’s “beautiful death.” Service will be held on Wednesday, March 18 at 1:00 p.m. at McGilley State Line Chapel.

Condolences may be left online at www.mcgilleystatelinechapel.com. Arrangements, McGilley State Line Chapel, 12301 State Line Road, Kansas City, MO 64145, 816-942-6180.