Rosemary Hattie Dolk was born in Galva, IL, on August 25, 1931, the daughter of Henry Walter Dolk and Mary Edith Wagher. Rose graduated from Galva High School in 1949 and received training in infant care at The Cradle, a nursery in Evanston where babies received care prior to adoption.
On October 29, 1950, Alpheus Clay Appenheimer and Rosemary Hattie Dolk were married at the Methodist Church in Galva, IL. They lived in Toulon and Paw Paw, IL, before settling in Dixon in 1965. Rose worked for nine years as a teacher’s aide while she attended classes at Sauk Valley College. She graduated with a degree in Elementary and Special Education from Northern Illinois University in 1979, the same year her youngest child graduated from high school. Rose continued her education, eventually earning a Master’s Degree. She taught the 0-3 Program at Franklin School in Sterling for three years, and then was employed as a reading teacher for the Byron Public Schools for fourteen years. After her official retirement in 1996, Rose worked for many years with the Title One Reading Program in Dixon. Rose was an active member of the Dixon Church of the Brethren and volunteered at the Ronald Reagan Home in Dixon for five years. She was a lifelong learner, still interested in reading non-fiction until her later years. She enjoyed folk music, playing dulcimers, autoharps, ukuleles, and guitars as long as she was able.
Survivors include three children, Sarah (Steven) Leonard, Tim (Sharon) Appenheimer, and Betsy (Brad) Gerdes; seven grandchildren, Michael (Laurie) Stonesifer, Shawn (Valerie) Stonesifer, Mary (Andrew) Zumbahlen, Ben (Stacey) Appenheimer, Rosanna (Jared) Herd, Jen (Isaiah) Nordhagen, and Laura (Caleb) Cook; and twenty-one great-grandchildren.
Rose was preceded in death by her husband of fifty-two years, Alpheus Clay Appenheimer; sons, Thomas Bret Appenheimer and John David Appenheimer; son-in-law, Dana Stonesifer; and brothers, Ralph Dolk, Cecil Dolk, and Wayne Dolk.
Private Services will be held at a later date.
Memorial contributions can be made to Dixon Church of the Brethren and/or Heritage Square in Dixon.
Arrangements were completed by Preston-Schilling Funeral Home in Dixon.
