Rose Sankey, 81
Rose Sankey, 81, passed away peacefully with her family by her side on January 5, 2024 after a long courageous battle with dementia.
Rose was born to the late John and Tully (née Richter) Jelinski in Milwaukee on October 13, 1942. Rose proudly completed her Catholic school education by graduating from Maria High School in 1960. After graduating high school, she worked at the Main Street Café until meeting the love of her life, Ron, at the Maryland Ballroom. After a wonderful courtship and after Ron’s return from the Vietnam War, they married at St. Stanislaus Church on May 14, 1966.
Rose spent nearly 30 years as a stay-at-home mom for her four sons as well as providing care for countless other children before returning to the waitressing job that she enjoyed so much. She worked at multiple local restaurants including The Food Stop, South Point Restaurant and Smiley’s. She was a member of the St. Bronislava Rosary Society for more than 50 years where she spent countless hours volunteering for funerals and various other church events. She was also a member of the Plover American Legion Post 543 Auxiliary for more than 50 years.
Rose also spent many years working in the Plover American Legion Baseball concession stand at Memorial Park helping to build it into one of the best concession stands in the state.
Some of Rose’s favorite times were spent with family and friends celebrating milestone events including her and Ron’s 50th wedding anniversary celebrated in May 2016. She also enjoyed traveling including trips to South Dakota, California, Florida, Louisiana, Alaska, Missouri, and Arizona.
Rose also loved to spend summer weekends at Vista Royalle Campground when she wasn’t watching and cheering for her sons’ baseball teams, listening to, and singing “good” Polka music both in English and Polish, playing bingo, baking and canning dozens of quarts of tomatoes every summer from our garden.
She was preceded in death by her parents, John and Tully Jelinski and father- and mother-in-law, Julius and Florence Sankey.
Survivors include her husband, Ron, her sister, Rita, and her brother, Ray. She is also survived by her sons Bob (Sandra), Jim (Tammy), Wayne (Molly) and Steve. She is further survived by her grandchildren: Matthew (Bob); Kaitlyn, Courtney (husband Mark) and Nathan (Jim); Salena, Novalee, Samantha, Sullivan, and Addalyn (Wayne); and Allison, Alexa, Anna and Tommy (Steve); one great-grandchild, Guinevere; her Godchild Tammy Stanislawski; and many nieces and nephews.
The family would like to thank Interim Hospice Care, specifically Shannon, Lori, Bea, Bonnie and Tim for their months of compassionate care that they provided for Rose as well as all of the loving care provided by Ashlyn, Grace and Maggie.
A Mass of Christian Burial for Rose will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday January 11, 2024, at St. Bronislava Catholic Church, 3200 Plover Rd. in Plover. Rev. Juan Pedro will officiate. Burial will follow in the parish cemetery. Visitation on Wednesday from 4-7 p.m. with a rosary concluding the visitation at 7 p.m. at the Pisarski Community Funeral Home, 2911 Plover Rd., Plover, and again on Thursday from 10 a.m. until time of service at the church.
Pisarski Funeral Homes are honored to be serving the family. For online condolences please visit www.pisarskifuneralhome.com
In lieu of flowers, a memorial will be established at a later date.
We love you so much, Mom. We will see you again very soon.
