Rosemary Henrickson, 91

Rosemary Henrickson, 91, longtime Oakesdale, Wash., resident, passed away Saturday morning, Nov. 14, 2015, in Colfax, Wash. Friends may call and pay their respects from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, 2015, at Bruning Funeral Home. A rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, 2015, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Colfax. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at noon Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015, also at St. Patrick’s. Vault interment will take place at the Oakesdale Cemetery with a reception following at the Oakesdale Fire Hall.

The second of four children, Rosemary Hanford was born Nov. 15, 1923, in Sprague, Wash., to John and Anastasia Hanford. Originally Oakesdale residents, Rosemary’s parents moved to a farm near Shonkin, Mont., shortly after their nuptials. Anastasia’s father, Matthew Brislawn, took ill in the fall of 1923, so as the time of her deliverance drew nigh, Anastasia traveled to Sprague to be with her father. Rosemary was born at the local doctor’s home, which, it so happened, was just across the street from Matthew Brislawn’s home.

By the time Rosemary was ready to enter the first grade, the Hanford family had returned to Oakesdale. There Rosemary met Stanley (“Sam”) Henrickson Jr., and so began a heart-connection that was to last a lifetime. Rosemary graduated from Oakesdale High School in the spring of 1941, and continued her education at Washington State College in Pullman, Wash., in the fall of that year. Following her sophomore year, she took a one-year hiatus from college to work as a blueprint copier for The Boeing Aircraft Company in Seattle, Wash. She graduated from Washington State College in the spring of 1946 with a degree in home economics. Rosemary might well have followed in her mother’s footsteps and entered the teaching profession; however, as it turned out, marriage and a family trumped a career in teaching. Rosemary Hanford and Sam Henrickson were wed July 7, 1946, at St. Catherine’s Catholic Church in Oakesdale. The two began their new life together in a small house in Oakesdale; Rosemary was a homemaker, and Sam, newly discharged from the Army Air Forces, took the reins of his father’s farm.

The couple welcomed their firstborn, a girl, in August 1947. Just over 11 months later, they welcomed their second born, a boy. By this time the young family had moved into the “Castle” — a stately Victorian house perched high on the hill east of Oakesdale. “Rose” and Sam welcomed three more children — one girl and two boys — during their years in the Castle.

In 1958 Rose and Sam purchased the “Lone Pine Ranch” from Ed and Naomi Meyer. The ranch was situated approximately three miles southeast of Rathdrum, Idaho, and consisted of 900 acres of farm land, a house, barns and various other out-buildings. For a few seasons, Sam continued to farm the Palouse (Oakesdale) ground, in addition to the newly acquired Rathdrum Prairie farm; soon, however, logistics forced Sam to hand the Palouse ground off to his brother-in-law, Lester Smart. Another girl and another boy soon joined the fold, and by 1964 the Henrickson family was complete: four boys and three girls — the three boys and three girls they dreamed of during their courtship, plus a bonus! The years on Rathdrum Prairie were busy, full years. In addition to her duties as mother and wife, Rosemary supported her husband’s farming enterprise by running for parts, paying bills and doing whatever else was needed to “keep the wheels turning.”

Tragedy struck the Henrickson family when in December 1973 Sam Henrickson was killed in an automobile accident on Highway 95 north of Athol, Idaho. Rosemary’s family rallied around her, and under the leadership of her eldest son, Hans, the family farm carried on. Following the harvest of 1974 — a (rare) year of good yields and good prices — Hans informed his mother, “Now you can have your house, Mom.” Rose and Sam had often talked of building a new house, but regrettably, it was not to occur during Sam’s lifetime. So it must have seemed just a little bittersweet on June 1, 1975, when Rosemary and her children moved into their new Rathdrum Prairie home, on the hill, just north of the original farmstead. In the late 1970s, Rosemary earned her real estate license and worked in the Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, office of James S. Black & Company for a time.

As remote as the possibility might have once seemed, by 1984 the nest was empty. Rosemary traded her Rathdrum Prairie house for a condominium in nearby Post Falls, Idaho. The condominium represented a significant reduction in square footage for Rosemary; however, the view of the Spokane River was exquisite, and the turn-key convenience of a condominium turned out to be just the ticket for this new chapter of her life! Rosemary spent 20 enjoyable years in her riverside “apartment.”

After a 46-year absence, Rosemary returned to her hometown of Oakesdale in the fall of 2004. Rosemary’s youngest son, Dana, negotiated the purchase of a city lot, and oversaw the construction of a specially designed home thereupon. During the construction of this home tragedy again struck the Henrickson family. On the afternoon of Sept. 21, 2005, Rosemary’s eldest son, Hans, lost his life in a flying accident near Ione, Wash. As before, supported and loved by her family, Rosemary continued on, never losing her zeal for life or her sense of humor. She was thrilled to move into her new “accessible” home on Nov. 15, 2005 — her birthday!

Rosemary enjoyed 10 wonderful years in her Oakesdale home. Frequent visits by grandchildren and great-grandchildren gave her great joy. Though she experienced various setbacks in her health during this time, she remained surprisingly spry well into her ninth decade: she amazed one and all by diving into Priest Lake at 90 years of age! After a brief illness, Rosemary went to meet her Savior early on the morning of Nov. 14, 2015, just a day shy of her 92nd birthday.

Rosemary is survived by her sister, Nadine (Hanford) Finley; sisters-in-law Sue Goodner and Eva May Hendrickson; six children, Miriam Matson (Bill), Kathryn Crider (Steve), Erik Henrickson (Cathy), Carl Henrickson (Darlene), Bonnie Dubinin (Alex) and Dana Henrickson (Cheryl); daughter-in-law Dianne Henrickson; 24 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren — with one on the way!

Bruning Funeral Home in Colfax has been entrusted with funeral arrangements. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.bruningfuneralhome.com.