Rosemary Hopper REUTER

1924 - 2015

REUTER, Rosemary Hopper
April 23, 1924 - March 20, 2015

Rosemary Hopper Reuter, 90, passed away peacefully at home on March 20, 2015, her family by her side. The fourth child of Wilson and Rosalie Dougherty, she was born on April 23, 1924 in Sierra Madre, California. Rosemary grew up in Arcadia, graduating from MAD High School in 1942. She attended Whittier College for a semester, then worked at Camp Santa Anita until she married Lt. R. Lowell Hopper in June 1944. They went to North Carolina for his flight training, coming home when he was assigned to the Pacific Theatre. Their daughter Judith Ann was born in June 1945, and Lt Hopper was killed in action on Okinawa nine days later. Rosemary bought a house on Genoa St, Arcadia when Judy was a baby, living next door to Lou and Jess Reuter. On July 4, 1947, she met her future husband John when he and his family arrived to visit the Reuters. Rosemary and John were married on New Year's Eve that year. They had two daughters, Marjorie Jean and Barbara Lou, and in 1954 they settled in their home in Arcadia where they lived for 62 years. They celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary on New Year's Eve, 2014.

Rosemary viewed the world in a unique way. She began drawing as a young child and developed her passion for art throughout her life. Rosemary studied with Frode Dann, David Schnabel, Dan McCaw, and Robert Landry, and she took courses at Art Center College of Design and USC. She illustrated several children's books and documented her life experiences through a series of watercolors painted on letters. She illustrated journals of her travels with John. Rosemary created rebuses and hand-painted eggs, which she gave to people for special occasions.

She was also a musician, playing both piano and violin. She taught her girls to appreciate music; they each played an instrument and learned to harmonize at an early age.

Rosemary was a skilled seamstress who loved fabric, color, and texture, and she had a distinct sense of style. Sewing her own and her girls' clothing gave her an opportunity to express her art through smocking, embroidery, trapunto, applique, and handpainting.

Caring deeply about the planet, Rosemary initiated both water and power conservation in her neighborhood in the early 1970s. The Reuter family was blessed with many opportunities to enjoy nature: trips to the beach and desert, hiking in the mountains, stargazing, camping, identification of birds, wildflowers, and trees, and exploring the United States.

Rosemary served as PTA president, AFS president, co-chair and hospitality chairman of Friends of Arcadia Public Library, working in their bookstore for many years. She served on Arcadia Coordinating Council, and she and John hosted several foreign exchange students. Active at Arcadia Presbyterian Church most of her life, she and John joined Pasadena Presbyterian Church in the 1990s.

Rosemary loved to discuss philosophy, religion, and life's profound questions. She didn't just accept, she queried and developed her own thought. She was a thinker, a reader, a contributor, a lover of life.

In addition to John, Rosemary is survived by her daughters: Judy Stevens, Margie Goodman (Leo), and Barbara Sands (Steve); 4 grandchildren: Stephanie Fitzgerald (Brett), Ry Heller (Morgan), Andrew Sands (Lorenza), and Ian Goodman, as well as 5 great-grandchildren, and nieces and nephews.

The Reuter family extends their sincere gratitude to Dr Richard Davis; Dr Soon-Min Tan; Med Care Plus Hospice; Candace, John, and Ken Dougherty; Eileen Fasana; and many others who supported Rosemary and John these last years.

A memorial service celebrating Rosemary's life was held on Saturday, March 28. Donations in her name may be sent to: Friends of the Library, 20 W. Duarte Rd, Arcadia, CA 91007.