Kathleen Kaka Fullmer Rose

Kathleen Rose, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, died peacefully on July 5, 2021 in Sandy, Utah. She was born June 19, 1940 in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Ernest Milton and Phyllis Wade Fullmer. She married James Dell Burningham in 1959. Together they had three children, Sally, James, and Michael, and later divorced. In 1971 she met and married Dennis Stephen Rose and they were together for almost 50 years.

Kathie, as she liked to be called, enjoyed a long career working in the United States Federal Courts, specifically with the US Federal Probation office. She began as a presentence report transcriber and worked for the department for thirty years, retiring in July, 1999 as the department’s lead Budget Analyst. She loved working with everyone in the Courthouse building. When her kids would come to visit, she would take them throughout the building to meet friends and coworkers; everyone would rave about how Kathie talked so lovingly about her children and how proud she was of them.

Kathie was multi-talented in so many areas, and enjoyed gardening, sewing, building, and cooking. This fierce woman could build anything, grow the most beautiful garden, sew like a professional, and fix any problem, be it mathematical or mechanical. She loved to grow African violets, like her mother before her, and her outdoor gardens were always whimsical, colorful, and beautiful. She was a talented seamstress, being able to sew everything from all her hip and fashionable work dresses to a tiny blessing gown for her preemie granddaughter, and fun pajamas and robes for her grandchildren every Christmas. She was an excellent cook, famous for her yearly pound cakes and her pies were legendary. When she was a single mother, her kids remember funny and creative meals like Goop, Spaghetti with Green Olives, and brownies made in round cake pans. Being the daughter of a master builder, she designed and finished the basement in her home and completed high-quality upgrades throughout the house as well. She helped her kids with any home projects that needed to be done, from finishing rooms, upgrading fireplaces, and building a chicken coop which she did at the age of 70-years young.

Her passion in life was her horses, beginning in her teenage years with her first horse Pearl. She was an excellent rider and loved being a part of the Silver Spurs Riding Club, and later, the Saddle Pals. Her last horse Rebel, a beautiful black and white pinto, was her best pal. She enjoyed riding and doing everything horse related with her sister Pat, and niece Missy. She also enjoyed making friends at Circle A Stables and talked fondly about her experiences there.

Kathie’s greatest joy was being a grandma. But she didn’t want to be called “Grandma”, so when her oldest grandchild started calling her “Kaka” because he couldn’t say Kathie, it stuck, and she has lovingly been Kaka ever since.

In her later years, she and her husband Denny enjoyed going to The Coachmen’s every week for dinner and visiting with friends and neighbors at home.

Kathie is survived by her husband Dennis Stephen Rose; her three children, Sally (Dave) Humeniuk, James Burningham, and Michael (Ronnie) Burningham; her six grandchildren, Christopher Kramer, Jaclyn (Brad) Kesler, Cassidy (Josh) Haslam, Alexis Burningham, Dylan Burningham and Ryan Humeniuk; three great-grandchildren, Bradley, Emily, and Sophie Kesler; her sister, Pat (Jim) Rock; her brother, David Fullmer; her niece, Missy (Shaun) Seare.

The family would like to thank the staff at Sunrise of Sandy, for their loving and excellent care of Kathie; thanks as well to the wonderful hospice workers at Inspiration Home Health and Hospice, who showed compassion and care to Kathie as if she were a member of their own family; thanks to Caring Senior Services of Wasatch, who provided wonderful in-home care and friendship before Kathie and Denny moved to Sunrise; and special thanks to her amazing neighbors, Vaughn and Marilyn Butler, Jim and Barbara Butterfield, and Gail Naylor and family.

There will be a viewing Monday, July 12, 2021, from 6:00pm to 8:00 pm where friends and family can come pay their respects to Kathie, at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park, 3401 S. Highland Drive, Millcreek, UT 84106. The following day, on Tuesday, July 13, 2021, there will be a viewing at 10:00am – 10:45am, followed by a funeral service at 11:00am.