Rosemary Yvonne Powell

Rosemary Yvonne Powell was born on November 27, 1947, in Walla Walla, Washington, to Fred and Virginia McElroy Powell, while the family was living in Hermiston, Oregon. Rosemary had a life filled with physical trials and tribulations, but through it all, she never changed from the fun-loving, positive person who kept her eyes on Jesus no matter what life threw at her.

Rosemary's family was very involved in the Church of the Nazarene in both Hermiston, Oregon, and Hayward, California. Rosemary was a lifelong follower of Jesus. She served in many roles in the church.

Karcher Church of the Nazarene in Nampa was her home church. She served as a Sunday School teacher to four- and five-year-olds for more than 20 years. She was beloved by her students, their parents, and her co-teacher, Cass Mabey. She also served on the church board.

She was a woman who easily could have been defined by her physical ailments but instead shared her love of Jesus and her positive outlook on life with everyone whose path she crossed.

A testament to Rosemary is that in her final hours on this mortal soil, she was singing hymns, cracking jokes, and just being herself.

Rosemary was the sixth of eight children, with the fourth child having died at age 4 prior to Rosemary's birth. When Rosie was three years old, while on a family car ride, she fell out of the car, fracturing her skull in several places and severely breaking her left leg. This led to having her leg in a cast for many months and also having surgery to stop the other leg from growing while the broken leg caught up. This treatment took place at Shriners Hospital in Portland, Oregon.

The Powells moved to Hayward, California, when Rosemary was 10. She completed her education at John Muir Elementary, Winton Junior High, and Sunset High School, where she graduated in 1966. She spent one semester at Chabot Junior College. While in high school Rosemary showed a proficiency with business machines. Her first job, outside of babysitting, was with Mr. Hodges - affectionately known as Daddy Hodges - typing tax returns. She also worked at Flings Drive-in.

In 1977, Rosemary moved to Nampa, Idaho, and began working at Mercy Medical Center as a file clerk. This began 20+ years in the Mercy system. She moved up in the business office as a data research clerk, office supervisor, and patient account supervisor. At the end of her career at Mercy, she was working with Oregon hospitals in Pendleton, Baker City, and Roseburg. She spent her final working years at The Elks Rehab Hospital in Boise overseeing Medicare billing.

On a spring morning in 2006, Rosemary stepped into the garage to drive to work. She had been managing her diabetes through diet and medication. But that morning she fell and broke her right hip. This began 20 years of serious health complications. She immediately began to lose her eyesight. She went into end-stage renal failure. Within the year she had gallbladder and surgeries. She never returned to her home or to her busy life of work and ministry.

She lived for one year at Park Place Assisted Living in Nampa before needing more skilled nursing care and moving to Sunny Ridge Care Facility. With all these difficulties, she never lost her positive spirit, her trust in Jesus, and her care for people. Whenever she would be facing another physical challenge, she would have a few moments of anxiety and then determine that she was going to be positive, embrace her future, and move on. Seven years ago, she was diagnosed with a slow-growing breast cancer; this past year it intensified, and she underwent radiation therapy.

On Tuesday, September 1, 2026, Rosemary suffered a stroke. She was paralyzed on the left side but retained her ability to speak and her sense of humor. However, she was in a lot of pain and could not undergo dialysis, which she needed because of her kidney failure. On September 8, 2026, she determined she was going on palliative care. Following visits from her dear friend, Nancy Robinson, and phone calls with her sister Robbie and brother-in-law Randy, she seemed ready for whatever the future held. Her words to her family were, “it’s the final curtain.” Her dear friend Sheila Seward was with her when she went on to glory just three hours after speaking with her family.

Rosemary was preceded in death by her parents, Fred and Virginia Powell. Her siblings: Shirley Wilson (David), Charlotte Deter (Milo), George Powell, Lillian June, and Christine Cretser (Sam). She is survived by two sisters, Virginia “Ginny” Harris (Gary), and Robinette “Robbie” Craker (Randy) both of Nampa, Idaho. She leaves behind numerous nieces and nephews, great-nieces and nephews, and countless friends and caregivers.

Wilson’s: David, Kathleen, Donald, Kelly, John

Rosemarie Deter

Powells : Ronald, Laurie, Bobby Jo

Cretsers: Cynthia, Lisa, Sheila

Harrises: Garrett, Heather, Lane, Candice

Crakers: Mick, Olivia, Craig

A Memorial Service will be held at Sunny Ridge Care Facility’s Chapel in Nampa on Saturday, October 10 at 10:00am.

Arrangements by Nampa Funeral Home Yraguen Chapel