Romae Louise Sargent

SARGENT MONROE,
Romae Louise

Born, December 7, 1950, Havre, MT.
Died, April 9, 2011,
Yakima, WA.

Romae was born in Havre, Montana, to Victor and Rowena Sargent. Soon afterwards, the Sargent family moved to Choteau, Montana. Romae graduated from Choteau High School with the class of 1969, and the Sargent family moved to Spokane. Romae attended Washington State University, graduating with a bachelor's degree in Education. She completed additional studies in Special Education. A dedicated teacher, Romae served at schools in Idaho, Utah and Yakima, Washington. Mostly she taught students in younger grades, working with children with special learning challenges in pre-school, kindergarten, and early grades. An active member of Girl Scouting for 48 years, Romae was passionate about developing next generations of girls into healthy individuals and civic leaders. She served as a counselor, role-model, and mentor for hundreds of girls and young women. Romae will be remembered as an unwavering advocate, wise counselor, and generous friend. She embodied the spirit of compassion and service. To her, there were no such things as "invisible people." She worked tirelessly on intervention, education, and prevention of abuse for nearly 40 years. Romae participated at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Selah, Washington, and played flute for both English- and Spanish-speaking worship services. Memorial services and a funeral mass were held there April 14 and 15, and her ashes were interred April 16 at Calvary Cemetery in Yakima. Romae's father, Victor, passed away in 1987. Romae is survived by her mother, Rowena Sargent (Spokane, WA), brothers Lance (Anchorage, AK) and Brad (Novato, CA), former husband Bill Monroe (Camano Island, WA), and their daughter Melissa (San Diego, CA). She also leaves behind her godchildren -" all "children of the heart" -" Gary and Eva Obernolte; Jacobie Downing; Kem, Israel, Jerome, and Michael Davis; Adriana Bermudez; and Jose Cardenas. Donations in her honor can be made to West Valley Dollars for Scholars, c/o Yakima Federal Savings and Loan, 7105 Tieton Drive, Yakima, WA 98908, or to Girl Scouts, Eastern Washington & Northern Idaho, 1404 N. Ash Street, Spokane, WA 99201.