Roselyn Skonberg George Obituary

Roselyn Skonberg George, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away peacefully on August 21, 2021 in Monument, Colorado. She was born on January 20, 1927, on the family farm in Rapp Community, Osage County,Kansas. She was the first of four daughters born to Hazel Lynch Skonberg and John Victor Skonberg. Roselyn attended Rapp Grade School, a one-room country school in Osage County, Kansas, and graduated from Osage City High School in 1945. After receiving an Elizabeth Watkins Hall Scholarship, she attended Kansas University, graduating in 1949 with a Bachelor of Science degree from the School of Education. Her time at Watkins Hall provided her with lifelong friendships; her active
involvement with Kitchen 8, the alumnae organization for Watkins and Miller Scholarship Halls, gave her the opportunity to help other students as she had been helped.  

In 1949, she accepted a contract to teach Home Economics at Lowther Junior High School in Emporia, Kansas. At a faculty picnic in September, she met her future husband, Douglas George, who was on the Emporia High School faculty. They were married on June 18, 1950, and together raised three daughters, Susan, Sara, and Laura. Roselyn made special doll cakes for their birthdays, scones for Saturday morning breakfasts, and after-church Sunday dinners - the table set with the good china, silver, and crystal. She sewed school clothes, prom dresses, wedding dresses, and veils. She knitted sweaters, made quilts, and taught them sewing and needlework skills.

After their daughters were grown, Roselyn and Doug built a farm near Quitman, Texas. Roselyn was hired as the Quitman Public Librarian in February 1978, serving for ten years. When she began, the library was located in a small house. With her efforts and those of others, the library was moved to a large, former bank building in the center of town. She wrote grants, organized a GED program, built up a collection of over 11,000 books, and worked very hard to make the library a welcoming place for all residents. In 1985, she was awarded Librarian of the Year by the Northeast Texas Library System.

Roselyn and Doug moved from their farm to Loveland, Colorado, in 1990 to be closer to their daughters and eleven grandchildren. She volunteered as a librarian at Interweave Press and was a member of Mountainview Presbyterian Church, organizing their Prayer Shawl Ministry. As a knitter, she treasured Psalm 139:13- 14 “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” The 23 rd Psalm was her favorite scripture.

She and Doug took wonderful trips together and attended many Elderhostels. In her 80’s, Roselyn became interested in genealogy. She researched family history and wrote two blogs – The Lynch Clan about Irish ancestors and Letters to Spakarp about Swedish ancestors. She traveled to Sweden to stay with cousins and see important ancestral sites, including Spakarp.

Visits by grandchildren, individually or with siblings or cousins, were the highlight of her life. They could always count on homemade cookies in the cookie jar and homemade cinnamon toast for breakfast. On Grandma Days, a grandchild got time by themselves with her for a special activity of their choice. She made a quilt for each grandchild’s high school graduation, using special fabrics for that child. Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving were spent together, but a favorite family holiday was Pumpkin Day. This was a special fall day that included picking pumpkins from Grandaddy’s pumpkin patch, bobbing for apples, a three- legged race, and lunch all gathered around the ping pong table.

In October 2017, Roselyn and Doug moved to Bethesda Gardens Assisted Living in Monument, Colorado. Photos of the grandchildren and great-grandchildren covered their walls. In her 90’s, Roselyn’s computer skills enabled her to exchange emails, photos, and texts with the family, visit via FaceTime, and follow KU basketball and Rockies baseball games with a grandson. Her hands were busy knitting prayer shawls and dishcloths for family, friends, and caregivers. As a lifelong learner, she continued to learn and read books. She received wonderful care from the staff at Bethesda as well as from Abode Hospice. Roselyn and Doug were married for 68 years before his death on August 7, 2018. He gave a dozen roses to her on seven specific times each year, leaving instructions to continue this after he was gone. Roselyn was also preceded in death by her parents John Victor and Hazel Lynch Skonberg, sister Norma Blount, and son- in-law Gary Bostrom. She leaves behind daughters Susan (Randy) Phillips of Monument, Sara Bostrom of Colorado Springs, and Laura Andersson of Bellingham, Washington; grandchildren Sean (Shea) Phillips, Drew (Haley) Phillips, Reid (fiancée Melissa) Phillips, Matthew (Callie) Bostrom, Erin (Zach) Ward, Allison (Jeremy) Smith, Andrew (Mender) Bostrom, Rachel (Andrew) Nelson, Rebecca (Marc) Merhej, Susanna Huffman, and Elizabeth (fiancée Trey) Huffman; great-grandchildren Holden, Devin, and Einar Phillips, Mark Bostrom, Miriam, Simon, and Naomi Ward, Ruby and Ava Smith, and Peregrine and Sylvia Nelson; sisters Evelyn Davis of Springfield, Missouri, and Joan Lieber of Osage City, Kansas, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends, including family friend Doris Munson.

A private graveside service for immediate family, Pastor Jim Webb officiating, will be at 10:30am, Friday, September 10, 2021, at Monument Cemetery, 800 Beacon Lite Road, Monument, CO. A Celebration of Life Pumpkin Day will be held fall of 2022. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to:

Kitchen 8
P.O. Box 1543
Lawrence, KS 66044 or PayPal online www.kitchen8.org
(Kitchen 8 is the Alumnae Organization for Watkins and Miller
Scholarship Halls at Kansas University. Memorials will go toward
an Elizabeth Watkins Memorial Scholarship in Roselyn’s honor and
memory.) 

or Mountainview Presbyterian Church Deacons Fund
2500 Garfield Avenue, Loveland, CO 80538