Obituary: Rosemary St Johns, 89, Grand Rapids and formerly of Ludington.

Rosemary St. Johns

Obituary: Rosemary St Johns, 89, Grand Rapids and formerly of Ludington.

Rosemary Elizabeth St Johns of Grand Rapids, Michigan, formerly of Ludington, passed away on Thursday, November 29, 2018. She was 89 years old.

She was born in Detroit on October 26, 1929 to William H and Katherine Schindler.

She married Ernest K St Johns in Detroit, December 24, 1969.

She graduated from Denby High School Detroit, and earned a bachelor’s of arts and master of arts degrees from Michigan State University.

Rosemary was one of the original faculty members of West Shore Community College. She taught speech, theater, and English. She chaired the Humanities Department and also the Curriculum Committee. She retired as professor emeritus in 1992.

Upon retirement she went to Jerusalem where she was Warden of St George’s College. The Intifada was in full force that year and there was often rioting, and sometimes, violence in the streets around the college. In spite of the unrest, she often expressed homesickness for Jerusalem in the years following that experience.

Rosemary had a passion for travel. With Ernest she had visited nearly every country in Europe, the Middle East, Russia, Siberia, and the central Asian republics. In Australia, besides Sydney and other major cities she also traveled the Outback and visited Alice Springs.

Following her service in the Holy Land she lived eight years in Albuquerque, N.M., where she volunteered with the American Red Cross. With her husband, she was deployed on five national disasters, including the World Trade Center Disaster in New York. She was also a member of a local Disaster Action Team.

At Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, she alone was responsible for maintaining a continuing Red Cross office. She provided vital support services to military personnel and their families. For her services to the personnel of that base, she received several citations from the base commander and one citation from the local congresswoman.

In Ludington, she volunteered at Spectrum Health Ludington Hospital. Visitors arriving at the front desk of the hospital would encounter Rosemary with her warm greeting and friendly smile.

Music was important to her through the years. In addition to occasional stints as a church organist, she often sang in the church choir of whatever community she found herself, lending her splendid, and pitch-perfect, alto voice to the music of the church.

Rosemary is survived by her husband, Ernest; by her son, Richard A Wall Jr and his wife Marcia; by her daughter, Cathy M (Wall) Schindler; by her grandson, Richard A Wall III and his wife Hannah; by her stepson, Michael C St Johns; by her stepdaughter, Patricia A (St Johns) Robinson and her husband Dan Robinson; by her step grandson,  Jacob Robinson and his wife Kateland; by her step grandson Alex K Robinson and his wife Heather; by her step granddaughter Chaney Bear and her husband Brandan; and by four step great grandchildren.
She is also survived by her sister, Arlene K Schindler and by her brother, William S Schindler.

Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, Palmer W. Schindler.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the scholarship funds of Ludington Area Catholic School, or of West Shore Community College.

The Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated for Rosemary at 2 p.m. Saturday, December 15, 2018, at St. Simon Catholic Church, Ludington, Michigan. There will be no visitation.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Oak Grove Funeral Home of Ludington, www.oakgroveludington.com.