Virginia Rose Stephanishen

Virginia Rose Stephanishen, 74, passed away at home January 18, 2016, surrounded by her loved ones, in Salmon, Idaho. She passed due to complications of early on set dementia. “Rosie” was born October 11, 1941 in Carmen, Idaho to the late Charles and Lucy Randolph. She was the youngest of their nine children. As a youngster, Rosie ran along the shores of the Salmon River living near Shoup, Idaho. She and her siblings were students at the Shoup School. As a teen she attended Salmon High School in Salmon, Idaho. Rosie married and divorced twice. First husband was Jerry Dance, wed December 7, 1957, the second was Robert Stephanishen, wed May 3, 1961. She had four children during the two marriages. Rosie was a hard worker. She held several jobs at once to provide for her children. She was a waitress for more than twenty years; she was employed at the Salmon River Coffee Shop, Shady Nook restaurant, the Loading Chute, just to name a few. Rosie moved to Lodi, California in 1982, where she worked for Lustre-Cal Nameplate Corp. in an accounts receivable position until retirement. During her time in Lodi, she met her significant other, Andrew Jenner. Andy and Rosie returned to Salmon when she retired in 2004. She lost Andy to cancer in 2011. After his death she moved in with her son Don, and daughter-in-law Dee, where she stayed the remainder of her days. Rosie was full of life. She loved to play in the dirt, planting her favorite flowers and herbs. She had an infatuation with jewelry; she wore rings on all her fingers and toes! She loved to collect knick-knacks, adorned her walls with photos of all her loved ones, and bought her favorite clothes, one in every color. Rosie enjoyed animals; she especially loved feeding chickens and collecting eggs. All who knew Rosie will remember her infectious smile, her incredible hugs, her sweet laughter and her feisty attitude. She was always a ray of sunshine even in her darkest days. Rosie is preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Wayne and Homer Randolph, her sisters, Stella Munson, Charlotte Solle, Jean Hoelzle, and June Lemaster (twins). She is survived by her children: Jerold “Don” (Dee) Dance, Clayton Stephanishen, Shelley (Jim) Burch, and Bart (Becky) Stephanishen, her two sisters Merle Dole and Lila Sullivan, eight grandchildren, six great grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. Service will be held at the Kingdom Hall, Saturday, January 30, 2016 at 2:00 pm, with a luncheon to follow. There will also be a Celebration of Life held later this spring. Arrangements are under the care of Bell Tower Funeral Home. Friends and family are invited to visit their web page to view Rosie’s online memorial.