Ronna W. Rook

Ronna Wayne Rook, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend, went home to be with the Lord on March 8, 2026, at the age of 88. She will be lovingly remembered for her warmth, generosity, creativity, and the welcoming home she created for family, friends, and anyone fortunate enough to know her.

Ronna was born on September 18, 1937, in Mountain Home, Idaho, to Ron Smith and Colleen Smith (née Whitney). She grew up in Mountain Home and graduated from Mountain Home High School in 1955.

While living in Mountain Home, she met Harold "Gene" Rook, who was stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base. They were married on February 12, 1956, in Mountain Home and began their life together there. During those early years, their sons Ron, Michael, and Randy were born in Mountain Home. In her early married years, Ronna also volunteered as a Grey Lady, offering comfort and assistance to patients in the hospital.

In 1960, the Air Force transferred Gene to Zaragoza, Spain, where the family lived for three years and where their son Steve was born.

After returning to the United States, they moved to Salina, Kansas, where Gene retired from the Air Force in 1964. The family later moved to Alaska, living in Ketchikan, Palmer, Sutton, and Anchorage. Their son Carey was born in Ketchikan, and their daughter Teresa was born in Anchorage.

Over the years, Ronna and Gene made homes in many places while raising their family, including Caldwell, Idaho; Gold Beach and Bandon, Oregon; and Boise, Idaho. Earlier they had also lived throughout Alaska, including Ketchikan, Palmer, Sutton, and Anchorage. They spent several summers building a cabin together in Lowman, Idaho, before making Lowman their permanent home in 1987. Later in life they lived in Mountain Home and Nampa, Idaho.

Ronna was proud of her heritage and was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Mayflower Society. Through her involvement with the DAR, she especially enjoyed helping new applicants research and document their family lineage, sharing her love of history and genealogy with others.

A creative and resourceful woman, Ronna enjoyed sewing, knitting, making pine needle baskets, and painting Christmas ornaments. When her children were young, she often sewed their clothes to help stretch the family budget. Each year the Sears and Roebuck catalog would arrive, and her children would eagerly flip through the pages to pick out clothes they liked-many of which she lovingly made for them herself. She had a remarkable ability to make the most of what she had and could feed a family of eight on a limited budget while making sure no one went without.

Ronna loved the ocean and found great joy walking the beach in search of seashells. She also had an adventurous spirit and, in the 1990s, decided on a whim to attend tour school in San Francisco simply for the joy of learning something new.

Ronna and Gene shared a love of travel and spent many years exploring the country in their RV. They traveled coast to coast-from Maine to Texas-visiting countless places across the United States and creating lasting memories along the way. They especially enjoyed spending winters in Quartzsite, Arizona. Wherever Ronna and Gene traveled, they made friends along the way, and their home-no matter where it was-was always a place of warmth, laughter, and open doors.

Ronna was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Harold "Gene" Rook, who passed away in March 2020; her parents, Ron and Colleen Smith; and her brothers, Stan and David Smith.

She is survived by her children: Ron (Naomi), Michael, Randy (Sharon), Steve, Carey (Danialle), and Teresa (David); along with nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, who will continue to carry her love and memory forward.

Ronna never met a stranger and had a remarkable gift for making people feel welcome. There was always room for one more at her dinner table, and she took great joy in caring for family, friends, and anyone who happened to stop by.

Her kindness, strength, and generous heart will be remembered always, and the love she shared will continue to live on through the family and friends whose lives she touched.

Funeral services will be held at Rost Funeral Home in Mountain Home, Idaho.

"Her greatest joy in life was her family. The love she gave so freely will live on in the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren she cherished."

"Until we meet again in the presence of the Lord."