Rosemary Therese McQueen

Rosemary Therese McQueen passed away at her Indian Creek home on June 21, 2015 after a long illness. She was 86 years old.

Rosemary was born on the 4th of July, 1928 to Harry Francis Kues and Frances Elizabeth Kues in Southgate, Kentucky. Rosemary often shared fond memories of her childhood and early life living on the Ohio River, just across from Cincinnati. She spoke of her education at the Villa Madonna Academy. She reminisced of dances in pavilions along the river and of meeting Clarence Wilford McQueen. Rosemary and Clarence married on May 22, 1948 and soon moved from Kentucky to Southern California. They spent 35 years in California, living in the Malibu hills and raising their three sons. During that time, Rosemary was a preschool teacher at the Malibu Presbyterian Church’s nursery school. Rosemary also established their family tradition of taking summer backpacking trips to many of the western national parks. She wanted to see as much as possible of the West she loved so much.

Moving to the Wood River Valley in January of 1983, Rosemary continued to teach at the Wood River Nursery School in Ketchum, which she co-owned with her dear friends, Marilyn Laggis and Alison Lane. Many children passed through the doors of her school, and she taught each one with joy and a passion for early childhood education.

Rosemary loved to make greeting cards, hike, backpack, Nordic ski, and talk on the phone; she was also a voracious reader. But perhaps Rosemary’s greatest joy was being Tata, or just Tots, to her grandchildren. She and Clarence were wonderful grandparents. Rosemary was also a loving great grandmother to her ever-growing clan of great grandchildren.

Rosemary was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years Clarence, her older brother Harry, Harry’s wife Irene, her brother-in-law Elmer, and his wife Lois. She is survived by her sister Susan Jane Goodyear (Fred) of San Diego, CA, her 3 sons Michael (Meg) of Copper Center, AK, Mark (Polly) of Hailey, and Miles (Debbie) of Idaho Falls, her 8 grandchildren and their spouses, her 12 great grandchildren, as well as her cousin Helen, beloved nieces and nephews, and the many folks who called her friend. She will be missed.

Rosemary’s family would like to thank the Hospice of the Wood River Valley for taking such good care of Rosemary during her illness, as well as Rosemary’s troop of loving and exceptionally skilled caregivers, without whom we would never have been able keep her in her home. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Rosemary requested that any considered donations go to the Hailey Public Library, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital (P.O. Box 50, Memphis, TN 38101), or the Hospice. Services will be announced at a later date.

When Rosemary was a little girl, she thought the fireworks on the 4th of July were just for her. She would have been 87 years old on the 4th this year; perhaps this time they are.

“Death is not extinguishing the light; it is putting out the Lamp because the Dawn has come.” - Rabindranath Tagore