Thief River Falls – Rosemary Naeseth, 80, of Thief River Falls, passed away peacefully on Thursday, January 11, 2024 at Villa St. Vincent in Crookston, with her loving family by her side.
Rosemary Jean Johnson was born January 4, 1944 on the family farm in Highlanding Township, Pennington County, the daughter of Walter and Cora (Krause) Johnson. She was baptized into the Christian faith. Rosemary attended Highlanding Country School and graduated from Goodridge High School with the Class of 1961.
On June 24, 1961, Rosemary was united in marriage to Lowell Naeseth at the Highlanding Hall. Together they raised their children, Valerie and Randy, on the family farm near Thief River Falls. In the mid-1970s, she attended college courses at Northland Technical College in Thief River Falls to further her education in social work. Rosemary continued to live on the farm until the mid-1990s when she moved into Thief River Falls.
Rosemary was happy to be a homemaker until her children went to school, then she became the church secretary at the United Methodist Church in Thief River Falls for over 20 years. Rosemary then went to work at Arctic Cat where she was a bookkeeper in accounting. Her last job before retirement was as a Senior Companion for Pennington County, a job which she thoroughly enjoyed.
Rosemary was an avid gardener in her one-acre garden and was excellent at canning, freezing, and pickling. She always enjoyed sharing the fruits of her labor. She enjoyed camping and playing guitar, hunting, fishing, and was an animal lover, especially horses and dogs. Rosemary was very competitive in fast pitch softball, volleyball, and bowling. She was a loyal friend who enjoyed playing cards, bingo, and trips to the casino with good friends. She was an avid Minnesota sports fan and enjoyed following the Vikings and Twins. She loved following her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren in their activities.
Rosemary was a member of the United Methodist Church in Thief River Falls and the youth church camp of Northern Pines. She was also very active with the bowling and softball leagues over the years where she held various offices.
Survivors include her daughter, Valerie (Roch) Cherry of Esko; son, Randy (Cari) Naeseth of Valley City, ND; five grandchildren, Derek (Jenny) Bruggeman, Camille (Josh) Ingle, Missy Bruggeman, Brandon (fiancée, Kassidy Olson) Naeseth and Colin Naeseth; three great-grandchildren, Julia Lallier, Jace Bruggeman and Emmett Bruggeman; several nieces and nephews; and many close friends.
She is preceded in death by her parents; and brother, Curtis (Carol) Johnson.
A gathering time for family and friends will be held from 5–7 p.m. with a 7 p.m. prayer service led by Rev. Dr. Betty Johnson on Friday, January 19, 2024 at Johnson Funeral Service in Thief River Falls.
Condolences may be sent at www.johnsonfuneralservice.com.
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