Obituary: Rosalie Price, 95, of Custer

Rosalie Price

Obituary: Rosalie Price, 95, of Custer

Rosalie Alice Price, 95, of Custer, was welcomed into her mother’s arms again after almost 94 years of longing and waiting.  Rosalie was born on January 15, 1929 in Fountain, the daughter of Louis and Magdalene (Rudzinis) Boyer.  Rosalie was only 15-months-old when her mother died at the age of 20, and her brother Bill was only 3-years-old.  Her mother’s loss made a huge impact in her life.  Both she and Bill leaned heavily on each other and believed strongly in “The Golden Rule” to treat everyone how you would want to be treated.  She proudly graduated as the Salutatorian of her Custer High School class of 1947 and went to work as a telephone operator for Associated Telephone Company in Ludington.

On November 5, 1949, Rosalie was wed to Donald D. Price at Bachelor Church in Sheridan Township and they celebrated 63 years together before Donald preceded her in death in 2013.   She loved being a wife to Donald making a home together and found her greatest joy in being a loving mother to their daughters Lynn, Lesa, and Rhea.

Rosalie was very active in the Custer community – assisting Don at their Shell Gas Station, keeping the books and running the service station when he was out on a fire call; volunteering with the PTA, 4-H, as a Girl Scout leader, and with the school booster club; worked as an aide at Custer Schools and for the Custer Post Office; and was a 20 year honoree member of the Custer Child Study Club.  After the Custer Study Club disbanded, Rosalie joined the Scottville Child Study Club to continue their support of kids.  She and Donald were also member of the Fountain and Pamona Grange.  As the fire chief’s wife, Rosalie became the department photographer, secretary, and communication director (before scanners and pagers).  When a fire call rang in their house, she would go down the list alerting all the firefighters of need for service.  In her later years, Rosalie volunteered for Hospice of Michigan and she and Donald traveled with the Care Free Good Sams RV club.  They wintered in La Casa Del Sol and after Donald’s passing, she became a resident of Sherman Oaks where she was able to develop many beloved friendships over the next 10 years.

Rosalie loved her family and passed down a love of crafting, baking, cooking, gardening, and crocheting – often blessing her family with many of her creations.  She was an avid reader, enjoyed playing cards and working jigsaw puzzles, and especially loved music.  Her greatest joy was just being a Mom, Grandma, and Great-Grandma to them all.

Rosalie will be greatly missed by her daughters Lynn and Larry Lada of San Antonio, Texas, Lesa and Mack Dipple of Custer, Rhea and Mike Blodgett of Portage; her grandchildren Michelle and Carlos Strejcek-Ramos, Jennifer Strejcek and Mike Taylor, Stephanie and Josh Peters, Stephen Dipple (fiancée Rebecca Hines), and Jonathan Dipple; her great-grandchildren Jared, Nathanial, Trenton, Quentin, and Malakye Strejcek (fiancée Stacia Newberry), Mariana Ramos, Ashley Taylor, Kyle and Brandon Peters, and Anna and Emily Campbell; her sister Judy and Karl Schmiege; her sisters-in-law Lucille Boyer, and RuthAnn and Curtiss Berndt; and numerous nieces, nephews, and extended family.

Along with her husband Donald, Rosalie was preceded in death by her parents Louis and Magdalene Boyer; her stepmother Clara (Engleberg) Boyer Bagley; her father-in-law and mother-in-law Hiram and Edith Price; her bother Bill Boyer DVM; her sister Marian Riffle and infant sister Joyce Boyer; her brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law Betty and Charles Faltinek, Ila and Orval Smith, Claribel and Fred Brunner, and Bud Riffle.

A ceremony to celebrate Rosalie’s life will be held at 1 p.m. on Monday, February 12 at Wyman Funeral & Cremation Services – Stephens Funeral Home in Scottville.  Burial next to her beloved Donald will take place later this spring at Riverside Cemetery in Custer Township.  Friends may gather with her family on Monday from noon until time of services at the funeral home.  Those who wish to remember Rosalie with a memorial donation are asked to please consider the Mason County District Library, Scottville Branch, or the Oakview Medical Care Facility Activities Fund.  So much appreciation for the love and care Rosalie received from all the staff at Oakview, it was truly amazing.

Please visit Rosalie’s memory page at www.wymanfuneralservice.com to share a tribute or memory of Rosalie with her family.