Rosa Avenell Christian, of Braham, Minnesota, passed away peacefully on March 5, 2017 at GracePointe Crossings Gables West in Cambridge. She was 81 years old.
Rosa was born in Ash Flat, Arkansas, on September 16, 1935 to Marvin Bishop Barnet and Margaret Pearl (Nicholson) Barnet. She graduated from high school at the age of 16 and went on to attend two years at Arkansas State Teachers College. It was there that she met Carl Graves and to this union two children, Charles and Margaret were born. Carl served in the US Air force, so Rosa traveled to and lived in numerous states, as well as overseas in the Azores Islands. Rosa and Carl divorced and she would later marry her current husband of 46+ years, Michael Christian. Together they raised three more boys, twins Arthur and Arlow, and Curtis. Rosa and Mike met and married in Kansas, where they lived until 1970, when they moved to Mike`s home state of Minnesota. They settled just north of Braham, where they shared their lives until Rosa suffered a major stroke in 2013 which left her in need of total care. At that time, Rosa moved to GracePointe Crossings in Cambridge. Rosa`s family would like to thank all the staff at GracePointe and St Croix Hospice for the excellent care they provided while she resided there.
Rosa was a woman of many talents and being a seamstress extraordinaire was by far her favorite. She operated her own sewing business, Sew Unique, where she designed and constructed garments for many in the community. She could sew anything from wedding dresses and tuxedos to beautiful award winning quilts. While living in Kansas, Rosa worked as a tailor at a dry cleaning business, sold Ovation cosmetics and was a riveter at Beech Aircraft.
In addition to sewing and needlework, Rosa enjoyed cooking, baking, canning, gardening, and hobby farming. She worked in various places in Minnesota including Gramma`s Kitchen Restaurant, Serenity Manor, Grand Casino Hinckley and doing foster care for a woman with special needs.
Rosa loved caring for children and babies and instilled these loving and caring qualities in her children. She had a wonderful, huge heart (along with a bit of a stubborn streak) that we will miss tremendously. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend.
Rosa is preceded in death by her parents Marvin and Pearl, brother Lehman and stillborn sister Lena Laverna.
She is survived by her husband Michael, children, Charlie (Darci) Graves of Fort Worth, Texas, Margaret (Marc) Carlson of Cambridge, Arlow Christian (girlfriend Michelle Holmgren) of Cambridge, Arthur Christian of Horn Lake, Mississippi and Curtis (Twyla) Christian of Pine City, sister Dian (Dave) Bloesinger of Evening Shade, Arkansas, 10 grandchildren Ken, Danielle, Cambria, Rhiannon, Torianna, Tyler, Lindsay, Daniel, Colleen and Rachel, six great-grandchildren KyLee, Jaden, Elijah, Isaiah, Lilly and Emmy and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.
A Funeral service was held on Saturday, March 11th at St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church in Braham with Rev. Tim Renstrom officiating. Interment was at Ft. Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis, MN. Arrangements were by the Rock Ingebrand Funeral Home of Braham. Condolences may be posted at www.aifuneralhome.com.