PARENTS: Alexander F. Mills and Eunice 'Unie' (Farner) Orndoff

MARRIAGE: Herbert Bennett Roper
DATE OF MARRIAGE: March 09, 1934 / Omak, Okanogan, WA

Name: Rosetta Roper
Last Residence: Wichita, 67218, Sedgwick, Kansas, USA
Born: 24 Aug 1914
Died: Sep 1985
(Source: Social Security Death Index)

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OBITUARY:
Rosetta Mae Roper, 71, of 1688 Parker Lane, retired hospital dietitian, died Monday. Service will be private.

Survivors: Son James of Witchita; daughters Carol Ruggerio of Witchita; Joy Roby of Fargo, N.D.; sister Glenna Powers of Yakima, Washington; eight grandchildren; nine great grandchildren. Resthaven Mortuary. (The Witchita Eagle)

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BIOGRAPHY:

Rosie was named after her aunt and namesake, Rosetta Farner.

A school eighth grade graduation souvenir from Rock Springs School, District No 61 in Linn Co Kansas 1921-1922 shows they all went to the same one room school: Glenna and Allen Orndorff, James, Jess, Rosie and Oscar Mills. Rosie’s brother Boutters, known as ‘Jack’, left the farm when he was 16 years old in 1920 and her little brother Oscar died a couple years later in 1924. Rosie’s father, Alex, died in 1928 when Rosie was only 12 years old. Rosie continued to live on the farm in Kansas with her mother Unie and brothers Jim and Jess Mills.

Due to the Great Depression of 1929, the Dust Bowl and Black Blizzards of the 'Dirty Thirties' and drought years, in 1932 Rosie’s half-brother, 'Allen' Sidney Orndoff, Jr. decided to move his wife and son from Kansas to Washington state in search of work - ‘People were dying all around them from dust pneumonia or malnutrition.’ By this time, Allen (Minnie & baby) were also back home living on the farm. Rosie’s two older brothers, Jim Mills (19) and Jess Mills (21), discharged from the Army in 1930, was still living on the farm.

Their mother Unie, Allen Orndoff with his wife and baby, Jess, Jim and 18 year old Rosie Mills all left Kansas together. The Orndoff-Mills family left in the spring, and arrived into Washington State in late September 1932 during apple harvest. It took over 2-3 months to move in two pick-up trucks with all their possessions, sleeping under their trucks and stopping often to find work to pay for more gas. Becoming just one family of the 200-400,000 'Dust Bowl' refugees fleeing the devastation and poverty in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas who lost everything to resettle elsewhere (2.5 million people 1930-1940 relocated).

The Orndoff-Mills family settled in Omak, Washington, with the four families living next door to each other on the Perry Farm. Rosie’s mother Unie lived with her. Rosie met and fell in love with Herb Roper, a large banjo paying gentle giant. In December 1933 Rosie married Herb in Omak, and her mother was a signed witness to Rosie's marriage. Rosie and Herb continued to have Rosie’s mother live with them. They were a very close-knit family, and remained so during that time.

Rosie and Herb had a baby boy, little Jackie, born about a month before Rosie’s brother Allen and Minnie had their second baby (also born in Unie and Rosie’s house). Little Jackie died of pneumonia January 17, 1935 when he was about six months old and was buried in Riverside, Washington with no headstone - this was still during the Great Depression Era. Rosie named their baby after a baby brother 'Jack Franklin Mills' that she played with until his death as an infant.

Rosie and Herb would work for the apple orchards for an income; Rosie would build the apple crates. She would even win contests for being the fastest crate builder!

Ten years after leaving Kansas in 1942, Rosie’s mother Unie, 66, married a bachelor Silas Franklin Corbin, age 70, in Okanogan county, Washington. Rosie and her brother Allen Orndoff were the signed witnesses. Rosie, now 28, and husband Herb moved in and lived with Unie & Frank in their home as their caregivers in Tonasket on the Okanogan River. Rosie’s step-father Frank was losing his sight and hearing, and Rosie’s mother Unie was also having physical problems. Rosie’s brothers Jess and Jim Mills were living nearby with their families, managing and working the surrounding apple orchards. By now, there were weekly family gatherings with Rosie’s brothers and sisters-in law living nearby, sister Glenna with her family living in Washington State, many nieces and nephews, and her other Orndoff siblings would occasionally visit from further distances such as Oregon and California.

Herb and Rosie had three more children: Carol A., James B., and Myra; all born in Omak, Washington.

While living in Tonasket, Rosie’s sister-in-law Esther (Jess Mills wife) was pregnant and bedridden in Frank and Unie’s home. Rosie was helping to care for Esther when she was found dead a few days before she was to give birth (1943)

After Rosie’s brother Allen Orndoff died unexpectedly in 1950, Rosie and Herb moved down to California for work. Four years later, Rosie’s brother John brought Rosie’s mother and stepfather, Frank and Unie, to California to live in John’s Boarding home. And in 1956, Rosie’s mother Unie passed away. By this time, the Orndoff-Mills family units were going their own directions.

Just two years later in 1958, Herb died and Rosie was now a widow. Sadly, Rosie did not have the finances to bury him. Then, Rosie’s step-father Frank Corbin passed away just two years later in 1960. But that was not the end of her losses.

In 1967, Rosie experienced more loss due to an accidental shooting death of her 14 year old grandson Jimmy while still living in California. Three years later, her sister Mary passed away, with Rosie’s brother ‘Jack’ Boutters passing on almost exactly one year later. As the youngest in the family, Rosie continued to see each of her siblings pass on one by one until her own death in 1985.

Life was also hard financially. Rosie and her daughter Carol would take in laundry to wash and iron, ten cents a garment. They would place sheets on the floors as they ironed white shirts for attorneys. Their income was based on how much they could take in, so they did what they could.

As far as family, Rosie often visited her brother Boutters (‘Jack’) Orndoff and his family in California, as well as with her sister Mary (Orndoff) who now also lived in California. After becoming a widow, Rosie with her daughter Carol returned back to Kansas sometime after 1974. By now, her brothers Jim Mills had settled in Nebraska and Jess Mills had also moved and living into nearby Missiouri to raise his family.

Rosie was a quiet, sensitive, caring person always willing to help others and abide by their wishes; as hard as this must have been on her, she always kept a smile on her face and a happy demeanor despite all her personal losses. She was always considered the life of the party. Rosie was a woman of quiet strength and a survivor!

“Life seems like nothing more than a series of losses, from beginning to end. Grief lasts forever. How you respond to those losses is what makes you who you are. Grief does not change you. It reveals you.”

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1. Cremated Ashes: Given to granddaughter, who had both her mother and grandmother's ashes since 1986.

(Researched by Linda Orendoff Voss)