Volunteering is a Way of Life
“Life is a great big canvas and you should throw all the paint on it you can” — Danny Kaye
Others may say no, but not Rosie Marquart. She continues to try to make the world just that much better.
Rosie Marquart’s idea of life is living it to the fullest and having fun doing it!
Even with her hectic schedule Rosie finds time to serve as Deputy Vice President of the Franklin-Warren District of Western Catholic Union. All her life she had made the time to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Rosie grew up as an only child on a farm in Augusta, MO. The farm was her Mom and Dad’s. Her dad was born there and her dad’s parents lived there too. She later married and built a house down the road.
She worked at a shoe factory for 5 years, sold Tupperware for 41 years. She stayed home with the kids while she sold Tupperware. She worked at Mt. Pleasant Winery for 12½ years and then a little over 11 years at Sugar Creek Winery. She enjoys communicating with people.
She has worked at the Senior Center for 22 years off and on. Her mom and dad went to the Center. Rosie started delivering meals and then was asked to cook. She enjoys cooking and helping others. Rosie is always willing to help.
The way she got the job at the winery is that a friend of hers suggested she help pick grapes, later she helped bottle wine and then made wine. Sometimes she works 60-80 hours at Mt. Pleasant Winery. She can drink all the wine she wants but Rosie says she’s the only one that drinks soda instead.
She and Frank married on November 26, 1961. They met at a wedding in Augusta. They have four children – Ricky, Sandy, Randy, Rodney, all of whom are married. She has 8 beautiful grandchildren and boasts that her granddaughter Elizabeth did quite well at the Washington Town and Country Fair Queen competition. After selling so many
tickets, she received a diamond watch.
When Rosie married in 1961, Frank sold her Western Catholic Union insurance. He had sold WCU insurance for 33 years. Rosie said, “Back then Krakow was like a picnic. Everyone had kids. The people in the Franklin-Warren district are special because of their cooperation. They have been helping out at the Town & Country Fair for 12 years and people said they would help again.”
She volunteers at Meals on Wheels on Tuesdays and Thursdays if she is not working at the Senior Center. She visits with people, delivers food, gets their medicine and does anything she can do to help out.
When asked why she enjoys volunteer work and helping people so much, she said “Frank says I’m crazy! He thinks I do too much.” One of her friends asked her, how can you be so cool about everything? Rosie said, “I told her you have fun and just keep on going.”
“The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have.” –– Norman Vincent Peale
Rosie has a garden. She cans if she doesn’t get rid of it to neighbors. She loves her farm. She gets up and feeds cows, calves, hogs, chickens, cats, kittens, everything but goats and lambs. “Frank, he makes firewood and plays golf.” Rosie says she enjoys the routine and has always enjoyed farm life “to be quite honest with you.”
To put it quite simply, Rosie is a sharing person, a loving grandparent, a caring visitor, a person of faith, and a conscientious worker.