ALWAYS IN OUR MEMORY
Beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, Rosalie Ross Thomason, of Roanoke Rapids, passed away on Sunday, March 27, 2016, at WakeMed following a long illness.
She was surrounded by her family.
Rosalie was 77.
Born on June 17, 1938 in Roanoke Rapids, she is the daughter of Eula Taylor Jones and Willie Harrison (Buck) Jones.
She graduated from Roanoke Rapids High School before marrying Robert Edward (Bobby) Thomason at New Hope Methodist Church on January 29, 1960.
The two were married fifty-six wonderful years.
During the life they made together, she dedicated herself to making a lovely and welcoming home and to raising her children.
She supported her husband in all his efforts including his commitments to the United States Naval Reserve. She was honored with a plaque from the Navy when Bobby retired from service.
Rosalie loved trees, flowers, and everything beautiful in the natural world.
From her kitchen window, she watched tiny birds at the feeder. Her favorite activity was to work in her yard with its twenty, majestic oak trees and scattered pink azalea bushes.
She was a member of the Arbor Day Foundation. The sound of a chainsaw made her cringe.
Rosalie also enjoyed collecting art and going to the NC Ballet with her daughter and grandson.
Her favorite song was La Vie en Rose.
She read mysteries and historical novels voraciously, sometimes late into the night.
Most of all, she loved her family.
She was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1973, and tried to live according to her beliefs. Rosalie is survived by her husband, Bobby Thomason; of the home, her daughter, Catherine Sue Thomason of Roanoke Rapids; her son Robert Edward Thomason II, also from Roanoke Rapids; her beloved grandson Taylor Jade Stevison of Roanoke Rapids; her cherished sister Sonja Jean Kidd of Roanoke Rapids; her niece Victoria Leigh Kidd of Winchester Virginia, with whom she had a special bond; her niece Stephanie Jean Brown of Roanoke Rapids; her nephew Michael James Liagoure of Garysburg; her niece Haley Ann Cribbs of Valparaiso, Indiana; her niece Julie Ann Smith of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina; her nephew John David Cribbs of Tempe, Arizona; her sisters in law Ann Bynum of Edenton, North Carolina, and Lucia Cribbs of Valparaiso, Indiana; and her mother in law, Lattie Thomason, whom she greatly admired of Roanoke Rapids.
Rosalie is preceded in death by her father, Willie Harrison Jones of Hampton, Virginia; her mother Eula Taylor Jones of Roanoke Rapids; and her father in law John Benjamin Thomason of Roanoke Rapids. The family will hold a graveside service at the old Cedarwood Cemetery on Friday, April 1 at 3:00 p.m. Brother Pete Jones of the Riverside Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses will preside over the ceremony.
Memorials may be given to the Arbor Day Foundation.
Online condolences may be sent to www.hockadayfs.com.
