Joseph Dean Rosevear

1963 - 2024

Joseph Dean Rosevear

October 4, 1963 - August 19, 2024

Joseph Dean "Jody" Rosevear passed on August 19, 2024 at age 60 in his beloved Northern Nevada following a long struggle with brain cancer. Joe was born in Winnemucca, Nev. to Robert "Bob" Rosevear and Judi Kinnard on October 4, 1963. Joe is survived by his father; sister, Heather Rosevear; daughter, Amelia Rosevear; former wife, Ann Setty-Rosevear; uncle, Jim Kinnard; nieces, Amanda, Lauren and Jaqueline; nephew, JT Pete; and many cherished great-nieces and nephews, cousins and friends. Joe was preceded in death by his grandparents, Walter and Julia Case and Joe and Shirley Kinnard; his mother, Judi; and his sons.

Joe spent his early years in Winnemucca, often at the side (or sometimes the wrong side) of his cherished grandmother, Julia. He was proud of his family's Basque roots beginning in the 1880s in McDermitt, Nev. Joe attributed much of his love of the ranching, hunting and Basque cultures of Northeastern Nevada to countless days spent crawling the mountain ranges of Humboldt and Elko Counties in his grandfather's 1963 Willys Jeep and time spent as a summer ranch hand in McDermitt.

In 1971, the Rosevears moved to Elko and Joe's life was then enriched by another lifelong community of top-quality Nevada friends. Joe graduated from Elko High School in 1981. After high school, Joe worked in surveying. In 1987, he met Ann Setty at the Sheepherder's Ball. They were wed at St. Joseph's in Elko in 1991 and were married for 28 years. Joe and Ann spent several years in the Pacific Northwest. He obtained his culinary associates degree in Portland, Ore. in the 1990s, then taught culinary arts in Portland before returning to Nevada in 2000, where he was a chef and partner at the Santa Fe in Reno and later at the Pine Lodge in Lamoille.

Joe and Ann brought Amelia into the world in 2003, and she was truly Joe's greatest gift. Joe passed on to her his perfect penmanship, love of music and culinary talents. He was proud of her academic accomplishments, Basque dancing and her overall "grit."

Joe's life, though lost too soon and burdened with hard challenges the last few years, was rich in friendships, heritage, a deep love of community, the outdoors, music and culinary arts. Joe's Elko friends will remember him for throwing the first Polyester Party that became a great Elko tradition and his love of and volunteerism to Nevada's oldest rodeo, the Silver Stampede. In Reno, Joe was a fixture at UNR and Mt. Rose Ski tailgates, serving up great quantities of "stacks" or paella. Some will recall magical trips with him following the Grateful Dead and the outlandish fun he brought as the "Playa King" at Nevada Camp at Burning Man. His time as President of Zazpiak Bat in Reno and cooking for the Reno club for many years was a great source of pride to Joe.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you take time to donate to Friends of the Rubies (contact Larry Hyslop at hyslop.nv@gmail.com), to the general fund of Zazpiak Bat Reno Basque Club (contact renobasqueclub@gmail.com), or to the Elko Basque Club (contact https://elkobasqueclub.com/contact-us).

We invite you to join us to celebrate Joe's life on October 26, 2024 at 1 p.m. at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Elko, Nev., with a Basque luncheon and celebration to immediately follow at the Elko Basque Clubhouse.