Obituary of Rosalie Jean Olmstead

Rosalie “Rose” Jean Olmstead, 76 of Berwick  passed away on Saturday, December 28, 2019 in the Grand View Manor. Born on the homestead of a small farm in the village of New Ross on Lake Ramsey Road, she was a daughter of the late Ernest R. and Effie E. (Keddy) Connors. Rose was a member of Christ Anglican Church.

She attended Lake Ramsay school, and obtained a grade 11 education. As a young girl, she never had a mean bone in her body, her family has all heard the story  about  how her and her younger sister never got mad at each other because to solve their conflicts they would  go out and run  around outside of their house in opposite directions until they met and they stuck their tongues out at each other, this continued until each girl was laughing too hard to be mad. In her teenage years, she moved in with her grandparents at a time of need, she did not know this would spark her desire to take care of the elderly.

She held down several mediocre manual labour jobs taking a bit of knowledge from each job that she used in her everyday life. From a good sense of what quality possession were, even though not always being able to obtain them for herself or having a desired too, to learning cooking and baking skills for entertaining the family.

Most of the time she never rushed through life but cherished every moment. She enjoyed square dancing, listening to music, and when she had the time, volunteering with the church auxiliary group. Her favorite drink in the world was water, but she did enjoy the occasional good cup of Red Rose tea and the occasional sweet or two. She enjoyed going out to eat, the two places she could always count on for a good meal were Chinese food and KFC. She had a very big and generous heart, always offering more than she had, even if that meant she herself had to do without. She was full of character, on one occasion going to the visits her grandchildren for the holidays she had to be quiet entering the house because her grandchildren were in bed but she was so excited that she had a hard time containing herself.

The last job she had in life was looking after elders in their home one on one. She talked very passionately about it, this job becoming her calling, giving her a profound feeling of accomplishment.

Battled with illnesses her whole life in one form or another but still having the stamina to persevere and to rise through it. As she matured, she developed a gift to gab, sometimes the phone was the lifeline to her sole. She also developed strong belief in what she thought was right and a passion to voice her opinions, with a mind that never forgot, while she was in the nursing home, she nicknamed herself Rambling Rose. To get through some of the awkward moments, there was always a funny comment. Always trying to enjoy life in one form or another.

She was very passionate about her whole family how much she loved and missed everyone.

“She loved seeing her family, every time we came to visit her, no matter how she was feeling that day, the moment we walked through that door her face lit up. She had a smile that could melt your heart. The moment she looked at you and you looked back at her you could see in her eyes and feel in your heart that she loved you with all her being. She would reach out to you and in that hand, you could tell that all she wanted was to hold on to you and be with you and care for you. With that smile and that face and that hand so full of love and happiness just at the mere sight of you there was no way not to love her and no way not to realize that she loved you, that you were her whole world. The moment I walked through that door I felt special, I felt happy, I felt like the most loved person in the world,” In my opinion, her Granddaughter.

The family would like to thank the caring and loving staff in the Grand View Manor.

She is survived by her son Dana (Carrie) Olmstead, son of Leon Olmstead; grandchildren Mitchell and Lee-Ann Olmstead; brothers Wayne (Susan) Connors, Chester and Allan (Vandalee) Connors, Wolfville; sisters Verna Olmstead, Morristown and Celia Connors, Lake Ramsay; several nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews.

Besides her parents, Rose was predeceased by brothers Louis in infancy, Stuart (Helen) Connors, Curtis Connors, Frank Connors, Sydney Connors, William (Beaver) Connors and Junior Connors; sister Louise (Ronald) Levy.

Celebration of Life for Rose will be held at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society or charity of one’s choice. Arrangements have been entrusted to Serenity Funeral Home New Ross Funeral Chapel, 4935 Hwy #12, New Ross, B0J 2M0 (902-689-2961).