Rose Marie Sivewright

Rose Marie Sivewright was born to John Wesley and Ella Roeber in Gause, Texas on September 29, 1920. After the birth of her only son, Gary, Marie served as a social worker before returning to college to earn a degree in elementary education at Kansas State Teachers College, now Pittsburg State University. She later earned a masters degree and became a reading specialist.

Marie spent most of her career teaching in the inner city of Kansas City, MO for Kansas City Public Schools. In the summer of 1964, she left for Kenya, East Africa where she spent the next four years working for U.S.A.I.D. teaching African teachers English teaching methods in this new developing country. In retirement, Marie volunteered her services on an Indian reservation at a school in Indian Wells, AZ, served as a librarian at a mission station in American Samoa and back in Nairobi, Kenya she worked as a librarian at the African Nazarene University.

From her early adult years using the first car she ever bought to pick up kids wanting to go to Sunday School to volunteering to organize the library for her fellow residents at Villa Ventura, giving and service have been the hallmarks of Marie’s life.  Her last years were spent at Villa St. Francis in Olathe where she received the best of care.

Marie was preceded in death by her mother and father, her brother Herbert Roeber and her sisters Lois Snowbarger and Wilma Tripp.  She leaves behind sisters Johnnie Atkins and Mildred Messer, her son Gary (Darla) Sivewright, grandsons Chad (Brittney) Sivewright and Jason (Jillian) Sivewright and great grandsons Pendelton, Isaiah and Shepherd Sivewright.

A memorial service will be held for Marie Sivewright at the Johnson County Funeral Chapel, 11200 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, KS on June 27 at 2 PM. In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made to church she love and attended for over 60 years, Kansas City First Church of the Nazarene