Rosemary Agnes Zwanziger, 94
Rosemary Agnes Zwanziger, age 91 of Nashua, Iowa died Wednesday, August 19, 2020, at her home.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10:30 a.m. Monday, August 24, 2020, at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Charles City. Interment will be in St. Michael's Church Cemetery in Nashua.
Friends may greet the family, 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. Sunday, August 23rd at the Hugeback Johnson Funeral Home and Crematory - Olson Chapel in Nashua. There will also be a 1:30 p.m. Rosary Service and a 5:00 p.m. Scripture Service Sunday evening. Further visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church on Monday. Online condolences for the Zwanziger family may be left at hugebackfuneralhome.com
Rosemary was born Dec. 1, 1928, at the hospital in Waverly to Florance M. and Francis (Laube) Harrington. She was the fourth of 11 children and grew up on a farm north of Plainfield where she was accustomed to helping with all of the chores.
She attended country school before going to Nashua High School, where she was a member of the Class of 1947.
One night, she went to Powersville for a dance, where her sister introduced her to her date’s brother, and that introduction changed Rosemary’s life. She fell in love with Virgil Zwanziger, and on April 17, 1950, they were married. The couple eventually had four children — David, Daniel, Dennis and Diane — all four years apart, and the Zwanziger children remember their mom as a quiet, faithful woman who loved and supported them throughout their lives.
The Zwanzigers were homebodies if you will, but they would take family summer vacations to Minnesota, where they enjoyed fishing and meeting up with Virgil’s side of the family.
Rosemary worked at several different jobs — Jake’s Food Market, the egg plant in New Hampton, as a waitress at a Nashua restaurant and Strawn’s Orchard — but she always said her biggest accomplishment was her family. She wanted to be there when her children arrived home from school.
Her family eventually grew to include seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, with one on the way, and although Rosemary was a great mom, she was an even better grandmother. She loved to take care of them, cuddle with them, hug them and yes, spoil them. They’d tell her they loved her, and her response was always the same, “No, I love you more.”
In her younger years, she enjoyed rollerskating, dancing, baking, cooking and gardening. She also enjoyed talking to sisters and friends on the phone, completing word searches and watching the RFD and Game Show networks. And almost on a daily basis before he died in a tragic accident 2 1/2 years ago, David would stop at mom’s for cookies and coffee along with an episode of Jeopardy.
Rosemary was the best secret-keeper in the world, and when the secret was out, she’d always say with a smile, “I knew it but I didn’t tell anyone.”
She was a member of St. Michael’s Catholic Church and the St. Bernadette Circle, and her faith was very important to her, even as she battled a number of health issues in recent years. More than once, her family was told “this is it,” yet time after time, Rosemary would recover.
Rosemary leaves behind an impressive legacy of family and faith, and she will be dearly missed by her husband, her children, her grandchildren, her greats and her friends. But as difficult as her passing is, they know that David welcomed her with open arms in Heaven.
Rosemary is survived by her husband of 70 years, Virgil Zwanziger of Nashua, IA; two sons, Dan (Lisa) Zwanziger of Nashua, IA, Dennis (Cindy) Zwanziger of Waverly, IA; one daughter, Diane (Bill) Schaetzel of Nashua, IA; seven grandchildren, Dawn (Perry) Lester of Des Moines, IA, Emily Bailey of Waverly, IA, Jeremy (Kayla) Zwanziger of Cedar Falls, IA, Alex (Miranda) Zwanziger of Walker, IA, Eric (Rachel) Zwanziger of Denver, IA, Abby (Mitch) Johnson of Nashua, IA, Alli (Caleb) Wilken of Plainfield, IA; five great-grandchildren, Oliver Bailey, Sawyer Johnson, Aubrey Rose Zwanziger, Briar Rosemary Wilken, Colsen Zwanziger; two brothers, Robert (Kathy) Harrington of Nashua, IA, Paul Harrington of Nashua, IA; one brother-in-law Bill (Peggy) Zwanziger of Ionia, IA; many nieces, nephews and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents; one beloved son, David Zwanziger; eight siblings, Norbert (Irene) Harrington, Richard (Betty) Harrington, James (Jane) Harrington, Theresa Harrington, Eileen (Clark) Zwanziger, Catherine (Jerome) Miller, Delores Zwanziger, Alice (Francis) Klassen.
