Alice Ruth Rosenberg (Mashek) passed away on November 6, 2023, in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Alice was born in Calmar, Iowa, on September 29, 1934. Her parents were Adolph and Mae Mashek (Riehle). After the early death of her father, Alice worked the family farm with her seven siblings until she left to work as a waitress at Little Butch’s diner in New Hampton, Iowa. Alice took care of an elderly neighbor while working at the diner and putting herself through her last year of high school. She later worked as a secretary at Collins Radio Company in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where she met her future husband, Carroll Wayne Rosenberg. They were married on October 3, 1953. The newlyweds welcomed their first child, Robert Lee Rosenberg, 11 months later. A second son, Dennis Wayne Rosenberg, followed 1 year and 10 days later. Shortly after, the Rosenbergs relocated to Southern California where their daughter, Cay Marie Jordan (Rosenberg), was born in 1961.
Like many women of her generation, Alice took care of the household and managed the children. She was also, however, an extremely talented handcrafter and held many craft boutiques at her home. Her specialty was crocheting, and she created hundreds of beautiful afghans for people over the years. Both Alice and Carroll enjoyed traveling and taking cruises during their nearly 40 years of marriage. They made several trips to Hawaii and Alaska, as well as taking cruises to the Caribbean and through the Panama Canal and traveling across the United States by car with the whole family during the early days.
Following Carroll’s retirement, the couple relocated to Gardnerville, Nevada, in 1991. After Carroll’s death in 1993, Alice lived on her own for a time until she began to display signs of Alzheimer’s disease. During this time, Alice’s children took turns taking care of her, first in Gardnerville with Cay, then she moved into a senior home in San Francisco near Bob, and then she was finally moved to an assisted living care facility in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, close to where her son, Dennis, had recently retired. She lived at this facility until she passed away. She was 89 years old.
Alzheimer’s disease did not diminish Alice’s love of crocheting, gardening, animals, and nature in general. She particularly enjoyed going for drives through Golden Gate Park and along the Northern California coastline and watching the dogs playing at the dog park. Alice also spent a lot of time in the garden. She loved to rake leaves, pull weeds, and stay busy in general.
Alice is survived by her children, Bob Rosenberg (San Francisco, California), Dennis Rosenberg (Rathdrum, Idaho), and Cay Jordan (Henderson, Nevada). Alice is also survived by her three beautiful grandchildren, Xavier Rosenberg, Molly Jordan, and Zora Rosenberg.
Arrangements are in the care of Bell Tower Funeral Home and Crematory in northern Idaho, (208) 457-8880.