Douglas A. Rosebrock

Douglas A. Rosebrock Speedway native Douglas A. Rosebrock, 55, of Valencia, California, passed away suddenly on Thanksgiving morning in Oak Park, Illinois during a holiday visit with family. The apparent cause was heart failure. The second of four children and a member of the Rosebrock family active in the life of Speedway from the 1950's through 1970's, Rosebrock was a 1968 graduate of Speedway High School and 1972 graduate of Indiana University. He moved to California in 1977 and worked for nearly 25 years in total quality management and technical writing for Lockheed Martin in greater Los Angeles. A lifelong musician, he performed in local rock bands, Broadway musicals, and church ensembles for four decades. His lyrical tenor voice lent itself equally to the soothing ballads he penned, to sacred music, and to the classics of the rock era by The Beatles, The Who, and beyond. In 1968, he won the Indiana statewide contest to compete for the national title of America's "Superteen." His beloved band, The Wrags, formed during high school in Speedway, held reunions and made recordings and videos as recently as the week of his passing. Rosebrock's gift for songwriting, poetry, and comedy found him spontaneously making up songs for children and adults alike, delighting his daughter, her friends, and the offspring of relatives and friends, along with their grateful parents. He loved to write humorous musical parodies on social and political subjects, but also applied these talents to converting modern popular standards to new works for performance in Valencia churches through his thoughtful, spiritual lyrics. An avid "regular" at resale shops nationwide, he had an extensive collection of classic electric guitars and rare vinyl records that filled the family's two-car garage. Mr. Rosebrock is survived by loving family members and fans from coast to coast, including his wife, Mary (nee Terry) Rosebrock; daughter, Darcy of Decatur, Illinois; mother, Evelyn of Perry, Georgia; sisters, Jere Smith of Bloomington, Indiana and Jana O'Brien (Wayne Parman) of Oak Park, Illinois; and numerous in-laws, nieces, nephews, aunts, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his father, Theodore L. Rosebrock, and earlier this year by his older brother, Dr. Steven T. Rosebrock. Memorial services will be held on Thursday, December 15 at 2:00 p.m. at the Newhall Church of the Nazarene in Santa Clarita, California, and separately at Rosebrock's hometown Speedway Christian Church early in the New Year. In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to The WRAGS Fund ("We Reward Arts-Gifted Students) co Mary Rosebrock, Santa Clara Valley Bank, 24300 Town Center Drive Suite 100, Valencia, CA 91355. Arrangements entrusted to Drechsler, Brown & Williams Funeral Home, Oak Park, IL.