Rose Marie Raben died June 20, 2023 after a long battle with dementia. She was 84. Rose leaves behind three loving daughters: Ann Raben, Lisa (and David) Steiner, and Jill (and Paul) Hammond; sister Irene Seidler; and sister-in-law Barbara Raben. Beloved grandchildren and step-grandchildren are Jackson Sanders, Emily Steiner, Ellis Hammond, Samuel Hammond, Arthur Bennett, and MJ Bennett. She is predeceased by her husband, Gary Raben, and brother, Ernie Wolf.

Rose was born on May 14, 1939, the youngest of three children of Joe and Mary Wolf. Rose grew up in Mandan, North Dakota and graduated from Mandan High School in 1957.  She quickly moved to the big city of Seattle, where she has lived ever since. She was a beauty queen and model in her early adult years and she has carried an air of elegance with her throughout life.

Rose worked as a telephone operator for the Bell Telephone Company at Third and Seneca – a photo of her on the job was featured in the Sept 1963 issue of Redbook magazine. Rose met many of her life-long friends during this time and went with one of them to see Elvis during his Seattle debut on Sept 1, 1957.

Rose met and married Gary Raben in 1960 and they settled in what is now Shoreline, Washington, where they raised three daughters. Rose ran a day care out of her home while her own kids were young, and worked the night shift for North End Brokers in real estate administration back when listings were done manually.

Rose was the quintessential wife and mother, hosting extended family for holiday dinners, transforming the family home each Christmas with her exquisite decorating skills, planning, hosting and baking for her children's birthdays parties, volunteering at St Mark's school and church, and packing the whole family away for much-loved weekends at the family's cabin at Lake Cushman.

Rose became a widow at age 43 and a single mother to her girls ages 11, 16, and 20. She threw off the housewife yoke and learned financial planning, auto mechanics, and home repair. She managed the family's rental properties. Rose bought a microwave oven and home cooking immediately ceased. Rose went back to school to get her real estate license and worked as a property manager at MacPherson Realty for a time. She ended her career as a bookkeeper for Dr Eric Jensen in Shoreline.

Rose loved feeding the birds and squirrels and working in the yard -- not planting flowers or vegetables but the hard labor of pruning, weeding and raking. She loved bargain hunting and outings with Ann. The family's yearly garage sales were epic and widely popular. Rose loved her Cadillacs, trips to the casino and hanging with her daughters and their friends at the family cabin. She was A Cool Mom.

Rose was a one-of-a-kind firecracker. She was warm and generous with her attention, quick to laugh, and the life of any party. She loved having red hair and long red fingernails. Her stylish flair and impeccably kept house are forever in the family lore.

Rose never remarried and as she grew older she loved her time at home surrounded by family. A child at heart herself, Rose was in her element as a grandmother and step-grandmother. Each grandchild was the Center of the World when they were with her. Rose would play with them from the moment they arrived at her house to the moment they left. Her toy closet was legendary with a rotating inventory that kept the kids excited for each visit to find what was new.

Rose's passing leaves a hole in this world but she lives on in those who were lucky enough to know her. Christmases will forever be magical, and family gatherings will always be filled with laughter (and shrimp cocktail) as a testament to her influence.

Thank you Mom for working so hard to ensure we had a beautiful childhood, for showering us with your love, and for raising three proud, strong women in your image.

Private interment at Holyrood Cemetery.