RoseMary Goodson

Goodson, RoseMary, of St. Charles, Missouri, died on Tuesday, December 11, 2012, at the age of 95 years, 2 months, and 14 days. She was the wife of the late Thomas Goodson; beloved daughter of the late Frederick and Maria Honerkamp; devoted mother of Peg (Robert) Lamburth, Grace (Jim Jeffries) Goodson, Alice (David) Eisler, Tony (Desiree) Goodson, Emily (Dennis) Buckhannon, and Lucy (Louis Zurn) Goodson; cherished grandmother of Matt (Jennifer) Lamburth, Michelle Sterling, Melissa (Jason) Brenkert, Leslie (Dan Dekruif) Hollis, Jonathan (Natalie) Eisler, Stephanie Eisler, Nathan and Joseph Goodson-Gregg, Danielle and April Goodson; treasured great-grandmother of Madison Canna, Eden Lamburth, and Katelyn Brenkert; loving sister of John (Marie) Honerkamp; and dear sister-in-law of Theresa Joyce. She is preceded in death by her daughter, Mary Sterling and sister, Celeste Sutherland. Linda Hasselstrom, an accomplished writer and RoseMary's longtime friend, remembers the first time she met RoseMary: "I was awestruck at her charm, her obvious joy in living, her unconcern with the future. RoseMary was happier sitting on a street corner dabbing at her canvas than I'd ever been, and she has been my idol ever since." Words fall short of conveying the vitality, enthusiasm, creativity, courage, strength, love, and graciousness embodied in the life of RoseMary Goodson. RoseMary began her adventurous life at a young age. She created a job for herself by drawing original greeting cards for shoppers at the downtown Famous-Barr store in St. Louis. Her cards were so popular that at the age of 20, the Stanley Greeting Card Company hired her to illustrate greeting cards, so she moved to Dayton, Ohio. When World War II began in 1941, she went to the nearby USO on the weekends and drew original cards for soldiers' relatives and friends. It was there she met her husband, Corporal Thomas Goodson. Both shared a love of art and soon were married in New York. Together they raised seven good and thoughtful children. Each of the children was blessed with the God-given talents of RoseMary and Tom: music, art, and writing. RoseMary shared her love of nature with her children and imbued them with a sense of the wonderment of life. She was the unusual mother who encouraged her children to play in the mud, climb trees, and explore the creek that ran behind their house. She woke her children at night, flashlight in hand, to watch night crawlers emerge from the ground. Her vitality and love of life was infectious, bringing the joy of discovery to all who shared any given moment with her. Every person who knew RoseMary experienced her adventurous spirit. She led family and friends on endless camping trips throughout the southwest. With her children grown, she invited grandchildren and friends to her adobe home in Congress, Arizona--a haven of simplicity and peace. RoseMary took great pleasure from simple joys in life – a habit of life that her children embrace. All of her children grow gardens. Her son Tony, along with his wife, Desiree, built her artist retreat of adobe bricks and hand-hewn beams in the desert, where she enjoyed twenty years of painting and being with family and friends. Her children are artists, writers, teachers, and musicians. RoseMary was an accomplished and prolific painter of over 1000 oil paintings. She wrote and illustrated 11 books and drew hundreds of pen and ink drawings capturing the western spirit. In the final 11 years of her life, she lived with and was faithfully cared for by her daughter and son-in-law, Emily and Dennis Buckhannon. Their dedication to RoseMary's well-being allowed her to build a wide circle of new friends and neighbors whose daily presence made every day, as RoseMary was fond of saying, "A good day." Coming full circle, she spent her last few years making hand-painted greeting cards. She made bookmarks and cards from her paintings and shared them with breast cancer survivors and with every person who walked through her door. She did original pen and ink drawings with watercolor wash on thousands of envelopes—happily creating artwork to her last day. Friends Geoff and Valerie Seitz captured the essence of RoseMary's art: "Her paintings and bookmarks are daily reminders of how RoseMary viewed life: full of color and passion to the very end." In lieu of flowers, please honor RoseMary by doing as she did every day of her life. Take a moment to write a letter(s) or note(s) or card(s) to someone you cherish. Then send your note(s) via the United States Postal Service. Make an annotation on your missive: "Sent in honor of RoseMary Goodson." Your mail will be the ultimate tribute to RoseMary's lifelong commitment to writing letters. The family will host a celebration of RoseMary's life on Saturday, January 19, 2013. Details regarding the time and location will be announced.