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Rosemary Lighthall

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Rosemary Lighthall, 94, formerly of Lawton, Iowa, died on November 19, 2016 at The Shores of Pleasant Hill care facility.

A memorial service to honor and remember Rosemary will be held the Lawton Community Presbyterian Church on Wednesday, December 28 at 2:00, preceded by visitation with the family at 1:00.  Interment will follow at Banner Township Cemetery in Lawton.

Rosemary was born February 5, 1922 to Hannah and Nels Thomsen.  She grew up in the Cumberland area. Following high school graduation in Atlantic, she attended Iowa Normal School (now UNI) in Cedar Falls, obtaining a two-year teaching degree in 1939.

Her first teaching job was in Lawton, where she met Lloyd Lighthall and married him on October 6, 1944.  They made their home in the Lawton area and raised four children.  She later earned a four-year Bachelor’s degree from Morningside College in 1972.

Rosemary taught fifth grade for years, and she especially enjoyed teaching science and math. She was a life-long learner herself.

She loved experiencing nature and growing flowers, and she was a talented quilter and seamstress. She also enjoyed playing the piano, and she spent many evenings star gazing.  She wrote in a journal every day of her life, until her memory began to fade.

She and Lloyd enjoyed traveling to visit their children in Iowa, Michigan, Texas, New York state, and California. They traveled to Europe twice and toured the southern United States.  Their love of nature took them to the National Wildlife Federation summits in Estes Park, Colorado annually.

The family would like to thank the staff of The Shores at Pleasant Hill for their consistent loving care of Rosemary over the last six years, and the staff and volunteers of Hospice for caring for her during her last two months of life.

Her surviving family members include her brother, Ernest (Karen) Thomsen; two daughters, Susan (Mark) Ackelson and Joyce (Randy) Howard; a daughter-in-law, Mina Lighthall; five grandchildren: Laura (John) Christiansen Jill (Robert) Carico, Christina (Steve) Ahrendsen, Shaun (Renee) Howard, and Brian Howard; and six great-grandchildren: Mason & Kamden Carico, Brynner & Arryn Christiansen, and Georgia and Baylor Ahrendsen.

Rosemary was preceded in death by her parents; a daughter, Linda Robinson, in December 1998; her husband Lloyd in October 2010; and her son David in September 2015.

Memorial contributions may be directed to HCI Care Services — 2910 Westown Parkway, Suite 200, West Des Moines, IA 50266-1332.

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