Rosella (Sweeney) Henderson 1922-2006
QUILLIN, SWEENEY, DAWSON, SCHOFIELD, ANDERSON, FOSSUM, HENDERSON, MONDIN, HEIDEMAN
Posted By: Volunteer
Date: 10/11/2006 at 07:47:20
Rosella Henderson
Rosella Henderson, 84, died Thursday, September 7, 2006, at St. Mary's Care Center in Madison, Wis., following a 19 month battle with cancer. A memorial service was held at St. Mary's Chapel/Community Center Friday, September 15. There was a private interment at the Monona Cemetery. Leonard Funeral Home in Monona was in charge of arrangements.
Rosella was the fifth of nine children born to Michael and Rose (Quillin) Sweeney on August 4, 1922, at the family farm in Lycurgus, Iowa. She attended Hanson School and Waukon High School, where she did Normal Training her senior year. After graduation she taught first through eighth grades at Howard School in Allamakee County, Iowa, for two years.
She married Lester "Scotty" Henderson September 8, 1942, at Lycurgus. They raised their five children in the Monona area where they farmed until Scotty became a distributor for Shell Oil. After Scotty's death in 1994, Rosella relocated to Madison, Wis.
Surviving are her five children, eight grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren: Sherie and husband Larry Dawson of Monona, and their three sons, Michael and wife Joanna Willis, Matthew, and Mark of Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.; Joan and husband Fred Mondin of Boise, Idaho, and their son Greg Mondin and wife Kathi Gallagher and their daughters, Mikaela and Haley of Boise; Gene and wife Glenda of St. Louis, Mo., and Miami Beach, Fla., and their son Chris Collis and wife Amy and their sons Carter and Spencer of Bloomington, Minn.; Wynn of Madison and his daughters, Rachel of Minneapolis and Meghan of Madison; and Nancy and husband L. George Heideman of Madison and their daughter Kate of Madison.
She is also survived by three sisters, Ceil Schofield and Darlene Anderson of Waukon, and Evelyn Fossum of Kansas City, Kansas; two sisters-in-law, Katie Henderson of Monona and Ileen Sweeney of Waukon; and numerous beloved nieces and nephews.
Rosella was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Scotty (Dec. 28, 1994); three brothers, Ralph and Ray Sweeney of Waukon and Leonard Sweeney of Superior, Wis.; and two sisters, Rita Sweeney and Helen Smorstad, both of Waukon.
Rosella instilled in her children and grandchildren a love for education, an abiding spirituality, the values of kindness, compassion, and a deep gratitude toward life and toward other fellow travelers. She showed a keen interest in other cultures, stimulated by meeting and interacting with diverse groups. In keeping with her Irish heritage, she had a sharp wit, a great love for music and dancing, an iron will, a high level of interpersonal intelligence, and a delight in all children, particularly her grandchildren.
In the words of a writer, for Rosella, there were three significant human endeavors: the first was to be kind, the second was to be kind, and the third was to be kind. Those who knew her will remember, cherish, and miss her forever.
Waukon Standard, September 20, 2006
Allamakee Obituaries maintained by Sharyl Ferrall.
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