Elsa Marie Rose Elsa Marie Rose passed away on Sunday evening, March 13, 2016, in Port Orchard, Washington amid children and grandchildren, howling winds and brilliant rainbows, incredible love and profound sorrow. Born April 19, 1921 to Florence Mildred Schell Wilson and George Janda in Mandan, North Dakota, Elsa was a prolific artist, mother, and traveler extraordinaire. In a lifetime marked by wars and cultural tumult, Elsa was lucky to have the peaceful life she did. Growing up in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood of St. Paul, Minnesota, Elsa began paying the visual world a gracious attention through her practice of painting, drawing, and sculpting. Pastels especially attracted her; the vivid color and luscious smearing of pastels made them her most coveted medium. Through her art she described the myriad incarnations of nature and humanity which so fascinated her. Though she loved art from a young age, art has rarely been a popular career choice to parents, and hers were no exception, mandating that she attend school for a career that would make her an independent woman--an autonomous spirit she maintained and passed on to her children and grandchildren. And while she gave the days to her studies and work as a med tech for the Manhattan Project in Hanford, as well as her sojourns to Chicago and L.A., she devoted her nights to art, taking every class she could and developing a rigorous studio practice. Her passion and hard work would eventually bear the fruit of numerous shows, accolades, and the admiration of her community. Elsa's love for art was only matched in its intensity and dedication by the love she shared with her life-long partner, Dr. Ray V. Rose. Elsa and Ray had known one another since being in the same homeroom class in 8th grade. Elsa and Ray shared 62 years full of love, adventure, and serenity in their home on the Columbia River in Pasco, Washington, before Ray passed away in 2010. While in Pasco, Elsa was extremely active in and fostered many friendships through the Tri-Cities Allied Arts as well as the EL chapter of the P.E.O Sisterhood, an organization committed to female education worldwide. Elsa and Ray are survived by five children—Steve (Andrea) of San Diego, Anita (Neal) of Port Orchard, Rick (Judy) of Tacoma, Laura (Hal) of Seattle, and Lynnette (Larry) of Omak-- and ten grandchildren--Dylan, Caitlin, Aislyn, Sierra, Morgan, Forrest, Lily, MaryEllen, Chiara, Ilsa, who are all lucky enough to be the bearers of her exacting wisdom and ever present sense of humor. Elsa and Ray spent their twilight years quenching a thirst for culture, learning, and adventure by constantly traveling to the ends of the earth and back. She was one inspiring woman. We all miss her dearly. The family wishes to thank the awesome staff at Franke Tobey Jones for the special care they gave to our mother and family during her last years of residence in Tacoma. We also wish to thank the compassionate services provided by Franciscan Health Hospice Care. A "Celebration of Elsa's Life" with family and friends will be held at noon on Saturday, April 23 at the Bookwalter Winery in Richland. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to SIGN Fracture Care International, 451 Hills Street, Suite B; Richland, WA 99354; www.signfracturecare.org . Elsa and Ray were passionate supporters of SIGN, a non-profit organization led by Dr. Lew Zirkle that creates implants for broken and fractured bone injuries in developing countries around the world.