Rosemary Ann (Pankratz) Braun (1962 - 2008)

Born 19 Jun 1962 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

Died 25 May 2008 at age 45 in Lisaard House, Cambridge, Ontario, Canada

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Doug Braun [send private message]

Biography

LIFE STORY

Rosemary Ann Braun (nee Pankratz) was born on June 19, 1962 in Kitchener to Abe and Irma Pankratz. She was their second child, a sister for Robert. She also has a younger brother Arthur, who came a few years later. As a family, they had many wonderful family camping trips all over North America during the summers. Because her father was a school principal, summers were spent camping, traveling, and day trips to many and varied attractions.

Rosemary attended Smithson Public School for Kindergarten, Franklin Public School for Grades 1-6, Sunnyside Senior Public School for Grades 7-8 and Rockway Mennonite Collegiate for high school. In high school she was heavily involved in choirs, orchestra, lots of sports, drama and many other extra-curricular activities. Her five years at Rockway were a wonderful experience for her.

Rosemary started piano lessons at the age of 7, which she continued to take until her late teens. She also took private cello lessons while in high school.

Upon confession of her faith, Rosemary was baptized in 1980 by Rev. Phil Keefer. She then became a long time, faithful member of Westheights Community Church. Since her teen years she has played the piano in church and the keyboard on the Worship Team.

Rosemary received a partial scholarship to Wilfrid Laurier University to the music program, and she attended WLU where she graduated in 1984 with a B.A. in music and a minor in Computer Science. She got her first full-time job at Equitable Life Insurance Company starting out in the Pension Dept and moving to the Information Technology area a few years later. She moved up from Computer Programmer to Systems Analyst over the next number of years and enjoyed working on the computer systems there. In 1995, she went to work at Manulife Financial as a Programmer/Analyst and worked there for a few years until her daughter Michelle was born.

On October 21, 1989 Rosemary married Doug Braun. They had met at Equitable Life where both were working in the Information Technology area. The marriage was blessed with two beautiful children, Michelle and Joel after many years of waiting. Rosemary quit her job to stay home with the children, working some part time jobs during that time. Life was very good for them during this time as the family grew, and Rose loved being home with her children.

She enjoyed doing crafts like cross-stitch, knitting and sewing, & also enjoyed reading, listening to music and playing the piano.

In 2001, Rosemary lost her beloved mother to cancer. Michelle was only 3 ½ years old and Joel had just turned 6 months. This was a difficult time in her life as she mourned the loss of her mom, while trying to be a good mother to her own children.

In 2005, Rosemary received a diagnosis of cancer, which came as quite a shock. After a year of treatments and surgery, Rosemary recovered and we all hoped the worst was behind us. Then in 2007, she ended up in the ER and found out that the cancer had spread to her brain. That was another more devastating blow. Treatment was given, as much as possible, but then when the tumors continued to grow there were no more treatment options available. Cancer was also found in her lungs which was an additional problem. Rosemary struggled to manage the symptoms as best as possible and to try to live life as normally as possible for her two young children. When it became impossible for her to do this any longer, she was moved to Lisaard House for her last few weeks. She died peacefully there with her husband and children at her side.

Rosemary's hope has always been in her Lord. In the last few months of her life, she was reading many books on Heaven and was very excited to be going there and seeing Jesus face to face. The hardest struggle for Rose was the thought of leaving her two young children and Doug behind to manage without her. Her hope is that the Lord has a tremendous plan for them and will carry them through this difficult time and in the years ahead, and work it all out for good for her beloved family.

OBITUARY: ROSEMARY ANN BRAUN (PANKRATZ) 1962 - 2008.

Rosemary died peacefully, at Lisaard House, with her husband and children at her side, after a long, courageous battle with cancer, on Sunday, May, 25, 2008, at the age of 45.

Cherished wife of Doug since 1989 and a devoted loving mother of daughter Michelle and son Joel. She is also survived by her father, Abe Pankratz and his wife Carol of Kitchener, her father-in-law and mother-in-law, Willard and Mae Braun of Kitchener; her brother Robert Pankratz and his wife Elaine of Oakville, her brother Arthur Pankratz and his wife Kimberly of Brampton, her sister-in-law June Einoff and her husband Mike of Owen Sound, her brother-in-law Roger Braun and his wife Esther of Kitchener, her brother-in law Robert Braun and his wife Kim of Kitchener, as well as 13 nephews and nieces. She was predeceased by her mother, Irma Pankratz in 2001, as well as her two grandmothers, Angenta Pankratz and Anna Harder.

Doug and Rosemary have been faithful members of Westheights Community Church in Kitchener for many years. Rosemary worked at Equitable Life Insurance Company in Waterloo from 1984 until 1995, and then at Manulife Financial from 1995 until 1998 when she quit to stay home with her daughter Michelle full-time. She also worked part time at The Galileo Group, Emerge2 Digital and Triak Mechanical in subsequent years.

Visitation will be held at the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home, 171 King Street South, Waterloo, on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. and on Wednesday, May 28 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m.

The funeral to celebrate Rosemary's life and faith will be held at Westheights Community Church, 82 Westheights Dr. in Kitchener on Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 10:30am, with Rev. Todd Lester officiating (for directions see www.westheights.org). Interment will follow in Parkview Cemetery, Waterloo. Following the interment, all are welcome to join the family back at the church for refreshments and a time of fellowship.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to Lisaard House or Westheights Community Church would be appreciated and may be arranged by contacting the funeral home at 519.745.8445 or www.erbgood.com.

ROSEMARY'S CANCER JOURNEY:

The story of Rosemary's two courageous fights with cancer and our family's journey together through this painful time of upheaval and uncertainty, has been captured on a web site at www.RosemarysHealth.com.

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