Rose was born on June 21, 1887, in Philadelphia and
moved with her family to St. Paul and Roscoe, Minnesota. As a young
girl, she began keeping house for her uncle, Fr. Martin Schmitt, and
she continued to work as a priests' housekeeper for more than 20 years.
On November 5, 1924, in Darwin, Minnesota, she married
Mathias Britz, son of John Britz and Margaret Kimlinger. Math was born
November 17, 1873, in Schoemrich, Germany. Math was a widower, and Rose
became a second mother to his nine children: Marie, Raymond, Louise,
Zita, Alois, Alphonse, Norbert, Benedict, and Anton. Math and Rose had
one child, Rosetta.
After seven years of marriage, Rose was left an invalid
by an attack of poliomyelitis. Her inability to walk did not cripple
her spirits, however, and she uncomplainingly continued her love and
appreciation of life, constantly working at whatever she was able to
do--cooking, sewing, and being a homemaker.
Math died very suddenly on August 17, 1932, and until
her death in Redwood Falls, Minnesota, on May 20, 1975, Rose lived with
her daughter. Math and Rose are buried in the Roscoe cemetery.
Rose was a friend to everyone, always eager to visit.
Her happy laughter always spoke of her presence, and no job was so difficult
or unpleasant that she couldn't sing while performing it. She remembered
and sang many songs from her early school days, as well as her favorite
hymns, both English and German. She left us a great legacy of love,
patience, and tolerance in accepting God's will and finding full enjoyment
in the "little things" that surround us.
Source: Eighteen Cousins, by Bert Jahn (1988)
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