Rosemary A. Holthaus, 87, of Seneca, Kansas, died Saturday evening, May 20, 2006, at Crestview Manor care home in Seneca.

She was born June 10, 1918, on a farm west of St. Benedict, Kansas, the daughter of Frank A. and Agnes Tangeman Olberding. She was the eighth child and her mother died a week later of complications of childbirth. She lived with her aunt and uncle, Mary and Henry Wietharn, until she was two years old and returned to her family. Rosemary attended St. Mary’s Grade School at St. Benedict and a year at Mt. St. Scholastica where she learned to play the organ. She returned home and graduated from Sts. Peter & Paul High School in Seneca in 1936.

On April 18, 1939, she married Carl B. Holthaus at St. Mary’s Church in St. Benedict. They lived and farmed northwest of Kelly on the Holthaus homestead for two years. In 1941 they bought a farm south of Seneca. Her husband Carl died August 28, 1978. In 1980 Rosemary moved into Seneca.

She was a member of Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Seneca, where she washed and ironed the priest and server robes for 25 years. She was also a member of St. Ann’s Altar Society, the Quilters Group, and a rosary leader at the church. Earlier she was the leader of the Lakeshore 4-H Club for 20 years. Rosemary always had a large garden and did a lot of canning. She liked to sew and cook and won a contest for pie baking.

Survivors are three sons, Gene, Mark, and Chris, all of Seneca; three daughters, Marian Rottinghaus of Seneca, Maxine Rice of Horton, and Stella Pella of Tecumseh, Nebraska; a sister, Agnes Holthaus of Seneca; 26 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

Besides her husband Carl, she was preceded in death by five brothers, Ed, Lawrence, George, Albert and Ben Olberding; a sister, Sr. Annella; grandchildren, Geralyn and Mary Rottinghaus, and Caleb Holthaus; and great-grandchild, James Carl Woolsoncroft.

Mass of Christian Burial will be 10 AM Wednesday at Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Seneca. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Rosaries will be prayed at 2 & 7 PM Tuesday at Lauer Funeral Home in Seneca.

Memorials may be given for Sts. Peter & Paul School, Sts. Peter & Paul Cemetery, or the Nemaha Valley Community Hospital, and sent in care of the family.