Rosemary Kunkel Obituary Rosemary Lavonne Kunkel, age 93, passed away December 12, 2023 in Nampa, ID. A memorial service will be held at the Nampa Funeral Chapel in Nampa, ID on Friday December 15 at 11 am MST. Inurnment will be in New Salem, ND at a later date. Rosemary was born to Otto and Frieda (Knirck) Kunkel in New Salem, ND, March 1, 1930. She attended grade school in a one-room country school, and high school in Almont, ND where she graduated as valedictorian of her class in 1947. After attending Dickinson State Teachers College for the summer, she taught the one-room school at North Almont that school year. She moved to Billings, MT in 1948 and worked at various office jobs there until 1955 when she moved to Nampa, Idaho to attend Northwest Nazarene College (now Northwest Nazarene University). After her freshman year, she spent two years working at the Passport Office in Washington, DC and the Nazarene Publishing House in Kansas City, MO, returning to NNC in 1958 to finish her college education. She graduated magna cum laude in 1961. She taught 5th grade at the Longfellow School in Boise for one year, but then returned to office work. Rosemary worked for the Samaritan Community Hospital as bookkeeper for 7 years until the hospital closed in 1967, and then stayed on for 5 additional years, in charge of the Building Fund Office and records and also ran the Continuous Rummage Sale to help with the Building Fund. That was like her own mission station, as she ministered to so many every day. She then went to work for the Idaho State School and Hospital in 1972, where she set up and continued to be in charge of the Medical Accounting Department for 26 years, until her retirement in 1998. Though raised on the prairies of North Dakota, Rosemary fell in love with the mountains while working near Glacier National Park in Montana summers during her college years, where she began hiking with friends there. After spending just one year in Nampa, she decided, "this is where I want to live the rest of my life," which she did. During her years in Idaho, she hiked, backpacked or traveled over much of the state as well as in other areas, documenting her travels on film. Putting those slides into programs and sharing them with friends in her home and for various community organizations, churches, schools and nursing homes became a lasting hobby and joy of hers for 31 years. At the time of her death, she had produced 110 such programs, which have been seen by thousands in Idaho and other states. Two longer trips she enjoyed were to Switzerland on a hiking trip in 1985 and a Work and Witness Trip for the Church of the Nazarene to Papua New Guinea in 1988. She was a charter member of the Southwestern Idaho Birders Association and for many years had been active with the Owyhee County Historical Society. She had also participated in eight Elderhostel trips, but the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho and Switzerland, always remained her favorites. Her slide programs, even though always educational in nature, were to her a wonderful avenue of sharing Gods love and the beauty of His Creation in nature. Rosemary had accepted Jesus as her personal savior at the age of seven, and never wavered from her commitment to Him. Though a member of the Church of the Nazarene most of her life, and very active in its many programs while living in Montana, D.C., Missouri, and Idaho, her personal relationship with Jesus was always foremost in her value system and conversation. Her parents, three brothers, four sisters, 3 nieces and 3 nephews preceded her in death. She is survived by 14 nieces and nephews, 3 cousins and a host of other relatives, as well as her large "family" of friends in Idaho and other states. In lieu of flowers, her request was that any memorials be made to the European Nazarene College through whose satellite program Christian pastors and workers for all of Europe are trained. Such donations may be sent to the Nampa First Church of the Nazarene, % Rosemary Kunkel Memorial Fund, 601 16th Ave. South, Nampa, ID 83651, or to the charity of your choice. The service will be live streamed and the link for the live stream is: https://my.gather.app/remember/rosemary-lavonne-kunkel Services Visitation Friday December 15, 2023 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM Nampa Funeral Home 415 12th Ave. So. Nampa, Idaho 83651 Funeral Service Friday December 15, 2023 11:00 AM Nampa Funeral Home 415 12th Ave. So. Nampa, Idaho 83651