Obituary of ROSWITHA RENATE JOHNSTON

Roswitha “Rose” Renate Johnston, age 76, passed away Thursday, December 20th, 2018 at her daughter’s home in California after a long battle with cancer. She was surrounded by two generations of family and her beloved cat, Tiger. Rose was born on July 12th, 1942 in Beutelreusch in Illerkirchberg, Germany to Paula and Johann Freihardt. She had two brothers, Lothar and Hans whom she loved deeply. After growing up in Germany and raising her five children, she and her family immigrated to the United States in 1983. Rose lived in Virginia, Oklahoma, and Hawaii before she settled in Alaska in 1991 with her family. Rose lived in Alaska from 1991 until 2017 when she moved to California with her daughter. Rose worked in many professions over the course of her life. Before immigrating to the U.S, she worked in Germany for 30 years. Once in the U.S., she worked for 25 more years. Rose’s last profession was as a Flooring Specialist at Home Depot for 15 years until she retired at the age of 72. Anyone who knew Rose could tell you how hard-working, self-sacrificing and dedicated she was. Rose always went the extra mile for all her clients and worked very diligently at everything she did; she received many employee recognition awards. Once Rose retired, she was able to travel to many places: Yosemite National Park, Lake Tahoe, Washington State, Universal Studios, various places in Nevada, and one of her favorites, Harry Potter World. Rose’s passions were gardening, painting, reading, shopping, and spending time with her loved ones. She painted beautiful masterpieces that brought life and color to every wall they accompanied. Everywhere Rose lived, she designed and nurtured the most whimsical gardens. Her favorite books were the Harry Potter series and books by authors James Patterson, Jean M. Auel, and Dan Brown. Rose was preceded in death by her parents Paula and Johann Freihardt, and her brother Lothar Freihardt. She is survived by her five children: Andrea, Claudia, Alexander (m. Shannon), Manuela, and Peter. She is also survived by her grandchildren: Jessica, Royvan, Kawika, Jennifer, Jacob, Daniel, Josephine, Raphael, Oliver, Jessica, Elizabeth, Julia, Michelle, Jasmin, Devon, and Michaela. Furthermore, she is survived by many great-grandchildren and her beloved cat and companion, Tiger. Rose was very loved by her entire family and will be deeply missed. She will be cremated, and her family will hold a Celebration of Life in Alaska in the summer. “At the sight of every beautiful thing, I will see you. At times of difficulty and despair, I will remember your unwavering strength. At every mile stone in my life, I will remember the words of wisdom and encouragement you gave that helped get me to where I am. I will remember you today, tomorrow, and forever.”