Rosemary Rainwater April 8, 1924 – February 18, 2019 ROSEMARY M. RAINWATER, age 94, passed away on Monday, February 18, 2019 surrounded by loving family as well as the Serenity staff, who she had grown a loving bond with during her four week stay at Serenity Hospice and Home in Oregon, IL. She was born on April 8, 1924 in Farmington, IL, the daughter of Joseph and Mary (Valachovich) Yonkouski. After graduating from Peoria Manual High School, she worked for Caterpillar where she met and later married Archie L. Rainwater on May 10, 1947 in Rochelle; he preceded her on December 23, 2000.
Rosemary and Archie spent their life together farming in the Rochelle area. In addition to her parents and husband, she is predeceased by her brother, Joseph Yonkouski, and sister, Dorothy Trau. Rosemary enjoyed attending anything and everything her children and grandchildren were involved in.
She was an avid sports fan, and only sat still when her favorite teams were playing: Cubs, Bears and surprisingly their rival, the Packers. Her favorite athletes over the years were: Joe Namath, Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Rosemary was always on the go and kept herself busy with many activities and in volunteering her time and talents especially at the Rochelle United Methodist Church.
Gardening was a passion and if there was a broom or a rake to be held, she was using it. In her later years, the Rochelle Senior Center brought her a great deal of joy along with many neighbors and friends. The family wishes to extend a heartfelt thank you to the entire Serenity staff for the incredible care of their mom!
She is survived by her four children: Raymond (Brenda) Rainwater of Rochelle, Ron Rainwater of Mexico, Mary (Jack) Wilson of Portland, OR, and Donna (Dana) Windland of Rochelle; 12 grandchildren: Jeff Rainwater, Jill (Troy) O’Brien; Douglas (Saffron) Rainwater, Adam Rainwater, Markus (Anthony) Rainwater, Cole (Jessica) Rainwater and their mother, Ellen Rainwater; Skyler (Kira) Wilson, Kelly Wilson, Mattie (Amanda) Burch, Baylor Wilson; Michel (Bryce) Oltman and Melanie Windland; 10 great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews, including her husband’s namesake, Archie Horner. Funeral service will be at 10:00 A.M., Wednesday, February 27, 2019 at the Rochelle United Methodist Church, 409 4th Ave. , with Pastor Robert Hamilton officiating.
Visitation will be from 4:00 – 7:00 P.M., Tuesday, February 26 at the Unger-Horner Funeral Home, 400 N. 6th St., Rochelle. Burial will be at Trinity Memory Gardens in Rochelle. The family requests memorials may be made in Rosemary’s memory to the Serenity Hospice and Home, the Hub City Senior Center or the Rochelle United Methodist Church.
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