Rosa L. Stolzenberg

Rosa Stolzenberg began her adventures in Pickens, West Virginia on April 24, 1941 and she left us quietly on the morning of Monday, May 31st, 2016. She was only 75.

Valedictorian of her high school class, she went on to attended West Virginia University and was a woman pioneer in veterinary science when that field was dominated by men. She was a member of the Dairy Science Club at Kansas State University where she got her Master’s Degree in microbiology.

A brilliant and beautiful woman, she had an infectious laugh and brought light to the lives of everyone who knew her. She was a cornerstone and inspiration to many people. The embodiment of hope and kindness, she found joy in everything, always with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes.
She began her career at the United States Department of Agriculture in 1967. Rosa was first involved with research in Maryland of common button mushrooms. Her future work included research in the Plant Science unit and then in the Sugarbeet/Potatoes unit. She worked at the USDA for more than 43 years and retired October 2, 2011 after a distinguished career.

A prolific author to scientific journals, she was also deeply concerned with worker rights and safety and was a Secretary for the local chapter of the USDA workers’ Union, and a member of retired USDA co-workers coffee klatch.

Rosa was an active volunteer and member of the South Island Lake Association, Lower Crow Wings Lakes Association, the COLA meetings of Hubbard County, the County Coalition of Lakes Association, and the Headwaters Coalition of Lakes Association. She and her husband Gary were committed to protecting and preserving environment and water purity of South Island and its neighboring lakes. Also a patron of the arts, Rosa appreciated fine wines, world travel, classical music, opera, live plays, symphony concerts, and National Public Radio and television. She was a contributing member to the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County.

For more than twenty years she was a member of the Paul Bunyan Mushroom Club where she meticulously recorded the location, size, amount, taxonomic phyla and sub-phyla of the fungi they gathered. She always had a camera in her had to record her adventures with friends, family, and co-workers. She brought this dedication and passion to everything she did. She was a caregiver to the earth and all it’s creatures and was deeply committed to preserving the environment. She was kind to spiders.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 41 years and heart-mate Gary Stolzenberg., her five brothers and sisters, and her parents Cecil Dana Thomas and Rosa Thomas. She is survived by her cousins Tommy Bennett and Betty Buzzard and a plethora of nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, Rosa would like you to make a donation in her name to a nature preservation organization of your choice, and, in her memory, please do not vote for Donald Trump.