Obituary of Rose Cecilia Stevens

Rose Cecilia Stevens

Rose passed away peacefully in her home with family by her side, on a warm and sunny Monday morning.

Little ‘Rosie’ was one of 6 siblings raised by her Polish parents John and Mary Mikula in the tiny farming community of Boyle, Alberta. Rose was always proud of her Polish heritage and embraced any opportunity to converse in her mother tongue.

As a young woman in the 60s, Rose found her way to Vancouver and met her would-be husband of 54 years, Fred Stevens. They tried out several communities in BC before making Cranbrook their home. Rose was very proud of the house they built and the kitchen was her domain. She loved to host dinners and they entertained guests from far and wide.

Rose was many things. She was a curious and cheerful fountain of energy who could be equally demanding and charmingly persuasive. She was a loving mother and supportive wife who put family first and showed an endless capacity for caregiving in Fred’s final years.

Rose loved the social aspect of her community and was involved in many cultural and athletic groups. She volunteered at the Key City Theatre and her local church. She played softball in the BC senior games, was an avid snowboarder, curler and was part of the Sunshine Girls hiking group. She spent many years with the BigFoot Running club and even ran a kilometre with the Olympic Torch for the ’88 Calgary Olympics. Her training techniques – which included running with a toilet plunger Fred filled with rocks – earned her a feature article in the Daily Townsman.

After retiring from her work at the Cranbrook Heath Unit, Rose and Fred began to travel extensively. They loved camping, motorcycling and international adventures. Travel became one of Rose’s great passions and supported her love of photography. Fred would plan their itineraries and Rose would always find time to converse and connect with locals and travellers alike. While Rose was the social one who loved a party, Fred was always content to exit just a little bit sooner. Ever the gentleman, he ducked out earlier this year to start planning their next adventure.

Rose is survived by her daughter Cari-Lee (Jared), sons Weldon (Nicole), Courtenay (Rebecca), grandson Cadence, sister Bernice (Henry) and bountiful nieces, nephews and cousins. She will be missed greatly.

The family wishes to extend their gratitude to the many kindhearted souls who volunteered to care for Rose at her home, including the Cranbrook Kimberley Hospice Society and especially her dear friend and loving caregiver Pina.

There will be an intimate service and reception to remember both Rose and Fred on July 3rd. If you’re interested in attending please email: [email protected]. Covid restrictions are in place so there will be limited space for guests; we hope you understand.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in honour of Rose to the Cranbrook Kimberley Hospice Society at: ckhospice.com.

www.mcphersonfh.com