Rosa Katharina Scott

October 10, 1932 - May 26, 2025

Rosa K. Scott passed away peacefully on May 26, 2025, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, WA. She was born October 10, 10,1932 in Ebing, Germany.  Her small village escaped bombing during the war, but not the horrors of family and close friends dying.

Her life changed in 1956, when she met Joseph Scott Jr. at an American Army Club in Germany. Nine months later she headed to America to become an Army wife. She loved being an Army wife and couldn't wait for orders to move to a new location.   She experienced the harsh realities of what it was like to be in an interracial marriage in America.   At that time, the Army wanted to make sure interracial Army couples were safe, so many of them were stationed at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas.   There they met other couples and became close friends.   Eventually, several of these couples moved to the Northwest when they retired from the Army.   Rosa and Joe were stationed at Fort Dix, NJ; Mannheim, Germany; and Ft. Hood, TX, where Joe retired in 1968.  They moved to Tacoma, WA, because of the good job market, the scenic Pacific Northwest, and a very diverse population. Joe started a second career as a postal carrier in Puyallup, while Rosa's mother came from Germany to permanently live with the family.

Rosa and Joe were married for 47 years before Joe passed away in 2003.  They enjoyed dancing to big band music at the NCO club at Ft. Lewis, as well as getting dressed up every year for Octoberfest.   They also liked traveling, fishing, and camping in the Northwest.  Rosa and Joe liked taking cruises.  They especially enjoyed their cruise to the Panama Canal for their 40th wedding anniversary. They had a great time when visiting good friends in New Jersey, California, and Hawaii.  Rosa had a passion for sewing, knitting, gardening, and cooking. She loved experimenting with new recipes, and everyone loved her butter cookies and apple strudel during the holidays.

As she grew older, Rosa continued to embrace life with enthusiasm.   She loved cooking, baking, and sharing goodies with family and neighbors. Her favorite pastime was going to casinos, playing her favorite slot machines with her close friend Annie (who was the mother of her daughter's friend, Bebe).  Annie and Rosa also enjoyed going to local food festivals and movies and taking trips with Discovery Tours. When Annie passed away in 2012, it was a deep blow personally to Rosa, who considered Annie a sister.

She slowed down quite a bit in her later years and unfortunately lost her ability to walk. Her daughter, Pat, took care of her at home for as long as she could, and then, in 2024, she was moved to a group home in Sumner, WA.  She was very fond of her caretakers, Abigal and Veronica, and always had them laughing. She enjoyed Abigal's cooking and treasured the time Veronica would share her Catholic faith, sitting with her while she watched her daily Catholic mass. The Scott family will always be grateful to them for the excellent care that Rosa received during her last ten months. She was frequently visited by family and friends. She looked forward to seeing her son Walter's whippets, Emma and Te'o, who couldn't wait to get goodies from her.

Rosa was preceded in death by her husband, Joe, and her mother, Ottilie Straulino.   Rosa leaves behind a son, Walter (Marcia); grandsons Jason and Eric (Jen); and daughter Patricia.

Rosa will have a graveside service on Thursday, June 12, 2025, at 2:00 pm at the New Tacoma Cemetery at 9212 Chambers Creek Rd W. University Place, WA 98467.

A celebration of life will follow at the chapel at the entrance of the New Tacoma Cemetery from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm. Come and enjoy good German food and music to celebrate Rosa's life.