Roselyn Bosnak

1924 - 2023

Bosnak (Lencek), Roselyn Ellen "Rosie"

Roselyn Ellen (Lencek) Bosnak, of Dayton, Ohio, passed away May 11, 2023, after 98 extraordinary years marked by love and a zest for life that took her around the world and endeared her to all who knew her.

A truly kind person genuinely interested in people, Rosie had a special gift for friendship. She made friends easily with people of all ages, backgrounds, cultures and interests. Rosie loved to learn and loved all living things. She was known for her beautiful flower gardens and her love of cats, including many strays who found a home with her.

Roise put her family first in all things, imparting to her children a value system that prized education, a strong work ethic, consideration for others, and respect for nature. A strong, independent woman, she was self-sufficient and humble, and an inspiration to many on how to live a good life and be true to yourself.

Her passion for travel came at an early age. As a girl in a tiny West Virginia coal-mining town, she would take her dog into the woods, climb a tree, listen for the railroad whistle and dream of where she might go. Later in life, Rosie packed her suitcase and was off on travels around the globe including the U.S., eastern and western Europe, China, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Russia, Morocco and Costa Rica.

Rosie worked in a variety of jobs in addition to caring for her family. At the end of WWII, she was a front desk clerk at Dayton's Biltmore Hotel, where she met her husband Peter in 1945. She was later employed by Sears Roebuck, Kimberly-Clark Corp., and the Dayton Veterans Administration Medical Center, from which she retired in 1989. She also found great satisfaction in volunteering as her retirement community's librarian.

Rosie was born Aug. 3, 1924, to an immigrant family in Thomas, West Virginia, the fourth of five children of Frank and Mamie (Merhar) Lencek. She was preceded in death in 1991 by Peter, her husband of 43 years, and siblings Frank, Marie, Robert, Joanne and their spouses.

She is survived by her daughter, Priscilla (Joe) Shindell, of Tybee Island, Georgia; Theodore (Nancy) of Oak Hill, Virginia; step-granddaughters Kelly (Charles) DeLacey of San Francisco, California, and Andrea (Joe) Carr of Yellow Springs, Ohio, and their families; many nieces, nephews and cousins; countless friends of all ages; and her beloved cat, Missy.

A Celebration of Life will be held 1-3 p.m. Aug. 6, in Hills and Dales Park at Paw Paw Camp, 2471 Deep Hollow Rd., Dayton, Ohio 45419. To carry on Rosie's legacy of nurturing beautiful flowers and caring for stray animals, the family invites you to make a gift in her memory to Cox Arboretum MetroPark in Dayton or the Humane Society of Greater Dayton.