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Rosemary Weld Harris
ROSEMARY WELD HARRIS
Monticello
Rosemary Weld Harris, 84, of Monticello, formerly of Columbus Junction, Iowa, died Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2019, at the Monticello Nursing and Rehabilitation Center following a brief illness.
Funeral services will be conducted at graveside at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 28, in the Evergreen Cemetery in Clarion, Iowa. Goettsch Funeral Home of Monticello has taken Rosemary and her family into their care.
Surviving are two brothers, John Weld, Cedar Rapids, and Don (Lynn) Weld, Colorado Springs, Colo.; eight nieces and nephews; several cousins; and many lifelong friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents; and her husband, James.
Rosemary Weld was born April 24, 1935, on the Bruehl Farm near Clarion, Iowa. She was the daughter of David E. and Alice Carmichael Weld. Rosemary graduated from Hubbard High School and was a member of the 1953 basketball team that made it to the Iowa State Tournament. She attended Simpson College and completed her bachelor's degree at the University of Iowa. She taught at Tama and Ballard, Iowa, before moving to Hood River, Ore., and teaching at Wy'East. Throughout her early career, she took numerous opportunities to further her studies through various institutes and fellowships, including experiences in Argentina and Columbia. Rosemary continued her education, receiving her master's degree from Oregon State. In November of 1980, she married James Harris. Rosemary taught at Southeast Polk schools before moving to Columbus Junction, where she started the K through 12 ESL program. That program received the FINE award in 1987 and was the only program of its kind to win that award. She retired from teaching in 1996.
In retirement, Rosemary did "first person" portrayals of notable Iowa women in full costume. She loved events and, better yet, planning and organizing the event, whether it was a birthday party or the reunion of the Hubbard Tournament Team. Her students were important to her and she kept in contact with many of them throughout her life.
The family suggests memorials to Iowa Justice For Our Neighbors, www.iowajfon.org.
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