With great sadness, we announce the passing of Rosellen "Rosie" Crow on January 10, 2023. Rosie was born on October 11, 1945, and lived a life full of love, laughter, and passion.

Rosie is survived by her son, Stephen Crow; her daughter, Sarah Kracklauer; her son-in-law, Peter Kracklauer; daughter-in-law, Michelle Tobia (Crow); granddaughters, Elsa Crow, Katherine Klose, and Renee Klose. She was blessed with many brothers and sisters-in-law, nieces, and nephews. She was predeceased by her brother, Fred Weber, and her ex-husband, Frank Crow.

A funeral service will be held at 2:00 PM, Saturday, June 17, 2023, at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Appleton, WI. A reception will follow at Rosie's home or the church reception if the weather is inclement.

Rosie was irreverent, funny, intuitive, joyful, loving, giving, determined, gifted, and faithful. She was ever optimistic and willing to take risks in her work and personal life. She shared valuable life lessons with her family and co-workers, such as "Let faith be bigger than your fear," "You can be sad and OK at the same time," "It takes a village to care for people," and "Love what you do, and you won't work a day in your life."

In her professional life, Rosie achieved many accomplishments. She attended nursing school at St Mary's and received her Bachelor of Science at UW-Madison. Even before she had graduated school, she was asked to join the teaching staff. Rosie loved nursing and nurses! As she assumed more managerial positions supporting nursing staff, she also became a strong advocate for the evolving nursing profession. In 1979, when working as a Nursing Director at Stoughton Hospital, Rosie was elected as the President of the Wisconsin Nurses Association (WNA).

In 1983, she made a professional leap and joined Lakewood Ltd, a healthcare consulting and hospital management firm. Eight years later, she became the Regional Director. It was during these years that Rosie earned her stripes. She traveled extensively throughout Wisconsin to different rural locations, attended late-night board meetings, drove on old country roads in the middle of the night to get back home, and frequently pulled all-nighters to write white papers and financial reports. In the early 1990s, Rosie moved to the national arena by assuming a Vice President position with Brim Healthcare. During this time, Rosie's hospital clients were located across the country. Though this time was filled with diverse and complicated work experiences that enabled her to guide larger medical systems to financial solvency, Rosie also managed to keep a small condo in Madison to be with her mother and grown children every chance she could.

When Rosie accepted the Senior Vice President position at ThedaCare, Inc, a nonprofit healthcare system serving the Fox Valley area, she was in her early 50s. Just lately, her daughter turned 50. At the party, Rosie was joyous for her daughter. She said earnestly, "I'm so excited for you! My life just got started at 50!" Divorced and an empty nester, Rosie moved to Appleton, WI, purchased a sprawling ranch home on the west side of Appleton, and could finally garden and entertain to her heart's content. Watching Rosie and her partner-in-crime and best friend, Connie Zehner, scheme adventures and tackle home decorating projects was like watching two kids in a candy store.  It was almost impossible to not laugh and feel brighter in their aura. Rosie also adored opening her doors to her two children, their spouses, and eventually, the grandchildren. And thus, began the most important role of her lifetime. She would joke, "If I knew how wonderful it was to be a grandma, I'd have skipped the whole parenting part." Rosie quickly responded to Grandma, Maga, Gamma, or Grammie titles. Interestingly, her daughter's title of Grandma Overboard never caught her attention.

Rosie's enduring professional legacy includes her contributions to the ThedaCare Hospice Program, Peabody Nursing Home, and the Follies. Rosie firmly believed that a sense of community in the workplace was good business but more importantly essential for mental health. Rosie was always game for sillyness to put a smile on someone's face. She established an annual theater production called, 'The Follies', where Thedacare employees and their families were invited to put on a show of singing, dancing, and comedy for the community. Rosie also forged strong relationships with her collegues. She took her mentorship seriously with the managers under her wing. Lastly, Rosie was dedicated to the sacredness of the human body and the subservient role of service providers.  As her colleague and dear friend, Bill Schmidt, wrote to her family, "Rosie's willingness to fight for others and her principles made her unique. Couple that with her passion for teaching that allowed and encouraged others to learn and grow beyond where they had been before, and you have an extraordinary person."   

Her lifelong legacy was loving her children, three outstanding granddaughters, friends, and family. Rosie truly touched the lives of countless people, and her memory will live on in the hearts of those who knew her.

Our little family has surprisingly been struggling with grief despite knowing the endgame for years. We are so comforted with your stories and pictures. Please take the time to share some memories and pictures with us in this memorial or privately at sarahmk41@gmail.com.

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