Rosmary Bertram Close

Rosmary Bertram Close, beloved wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, aunt and friend went Home to be with the Lord on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2016. Born December 3, 1919 in Tacoma Washington, Rosmary had recently celebrated her 97th birthday. As the youngest of 5 children, and the only daughter, of Agnes and George W. Bertram, Rosmary grew up surrounded by a loving and protective family. According to Rosmary's accounts, her brothers wouldn't allow her to be alone with a boy, nor even to walk to and from school by herself. She was quite pampered. However, this attention did not cause her to be self-centered or spoiled. Rosmary was known to be kind, caring, unselfish and humble. Romantic love arrived in the person of Charles S. Close when Rosmary was 21 years old. A favorite story of my (Judy's) Dad's was that Mom got one look at him at a dance and she ran all the way across the dance floor to introduce herself. Mom good-naturedly laughed at this joke on her. The truth was that they both fell quickly in love and were married less than 6 months after having met each other. Their beautiful marriage was to last 68 years, until Charles' death. They were the picture of loving commitment. Charles joined the US Army and served in the Pacific during WWII. During his time away, Rosmary lived with her parents and faithfully awaited his return. When the war was over, Charles and Rosmary settled in Roseburg, Oregon, where Charles' sister and her husband lived. Charles became a paint company salesman and Rosmary did secretarial work. They later relocated to Eugene and then settled for decades in and near Portland. As the years went by and they desired to have a family, they tried but were unable to have children. After 14 years of waiting and hoping, they adopted two little girls, Judy, age 5 and Nancy, age 3. Their daughters were the light of their lives, and they were truly devoted parents. Rosmary was a very active, involved mother. She was at various times the girls' Sunday school teacher, Brownie and Girl Scout leader, and Room Mother. Along with these roles, Rosmary was an expert seamstress and needlework stitcher and sewed most of the girls' clothing. She also passed on to her daughters her love of reading. Rosmary was a gregarious person, blessed with many friends. She enjoyed golf, bridge, Bingo, and other social pursuits and the home was always full of family or friends--some made through the years Charles was in the military, some through golf, some by travelling together and some as parents of children the same age. She volunteered once a week for many years with the Good Samaritan Hospital Auxiliary, helping to run the gift shop. After their children left home, Charles and Rosmary moved to Summerfield, an active retirement community in Tigard Oregon, where they continued to enjoy the company of long-time friends, as well as new ones. Her friendships while in their home in Summerfield, and later at the Estates, were very dear to her and she was a good friend to all. Rosmary was brought up in the Lutheran church and throughout her life she relied on her faith through good times and not so good. She took part in Bible Study circles and other social groups through her church. She had a group of friends who faithfully sat in the same pew every Sunday, and these were some of her dear friends. She took part in the quilting group on Wednesdays through her 96th year. She was a woman of prayer and for the last few years of her life she softly sang a hymn in bed each night before she went to sleep. The legacy Rosmary leaves as the matriarch of the Bertram family is rich. She loved visits, phone calls, letters or cards from her dear nieces and nephews and their spouses. She also had close friendships with the daughters of some of her friends. These ""girls"" enriched her life as they stayed in touch in many different ways. Rosmary was a beloved wife, mother, mother-in-law and grandmother to her family. She never tired of taking special one-on-one time if a grandchild wanted to play ""pretend"" or a game of cards. She loved baking with them, teaching them to knit, or watching them swing at the park. She was always up for an outing and said she would try anything once. She had a can-do attitude! She longed to play golf again, even in her last days. Rosmary was predeceased by her husband Charles and daughter Nancy Close Dalengas. Her survivors include daughter Judy Hobbs, sons-in-law Woody Hobbs and Chris Dalengas and grandchildren Alex McNeilly, and Dawn, Quinn, Natasha and Brooke Hobbs. Rosmary was diagnosed with cancer in her last months and the family suggests that in lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to the American Cancer Society at www.cancer.org/donate. Rosmary has many surviving relatives and friends who are all invited to a memorial service at Christ the King Lutheran Church on Wednesday, January 11, 2017 at 2 PM. The church's address is 11305 SW Bull Mountain Rd, Tigard OR 97224. Please share your memories of Rosmary and condolences with her family by signing the guest book below.