"so sorry for your loss. she was a great person. she came and talked to our school a few times, what an amazing life story... thank you so much."
In loving memory of
Mireille A. Rostad
September 19, 1924 - October 13, 2011
Mireille "Mary" Anys Brouillard Rostad died with her children at her bedside on October 13, 2011, at Bethany St. Joseph Care Center in La Crosse, WI. She was born on September 19, 1924, in Buizingen, Belgium to Maurice and Mathilde (Crab) Brouillard. She left her home after the invasion of Belgium by Germany to work for the French and Belgian Resistance movements. She later was employed at General Eisenhower's Frankfurt headquarters. She met her future husband, Allen Rostad, while working for the U.S. Army and they married in Forest on March 16, 1946. Mary arrived in America on June 10, 1946, aboard the war bride transport ship George S. Goethels and settle with Allen in Houston, MN. She became a naturalized American citizen in 1952. Early during her time in Houston Mary became a Girl Scout leader and continued as a leader for many years. After working for several years as a nurse's aide at La Crosse Lutheran Hospital she graduated from Western Wisconsin Technical Institute and began her work as a nurse at the hospital. She later became an eye enucleator, taking corneas for transplant, for the Wisconsin Eye Bank until her own failing eyesight made that impossible. She was a member of Cross of Christ Lutheran Church, WELCA, Caring Quilters of Cross of Christ, Piecemakers Quilt Group of Spring Grove, and Houston Quilters. Mary enjoyed time spent with her quilting friends, especially making quilts for others, including graduating seniors of the Cross of Christ congregation and quilts for the world missions. Later in life she became a speaker/educator on her experiences in the WWII Resistance and sharing her perspective on the Holocaust. She spoke to countless school children in many school districts, and in 2005 she spoke to a packed house at the Viterbo University Fine Arts Center. Mary was a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 1986, the first year the awards were made. In May of 2011, she was honored by the Congregation Sons of Abraham in La Crosse for her efforts in Holocaust education. She was a devoted and loving wife, mother, and grandmother, and was so happy and proud to become a great-grandmother to four beautiful boys.
She is survived by son and daughter-in-law, Andre and Barbara Rostad of La Crescent, MN, daughter, Denise Rostad of Platteville, WI, and son Kim Rostad of La Crosse, WI; three grandchildren, Aimee (Patrick) Miles, Kelly (Luke) Wachewicz , and Andrew Rostad; four great-grandchildren, Brady and Lincoln Miles, and Liam and Landon Wachewicz; two sisters, Angele (Leon) Marchand and Maggie Brouillard of Belgium; sister-in-law, Patricia Brouillard; brother-in-law, Sidney (Laura) Rostad; many nieces and nephews; her dear "Paris cousins"; and many wonderful friends from church, quilting, Lutheran Hospital, Holocaust education, and her Houston neighborhood who helped her continue to live well and independently until very recently. She was preceded in death by her dear husband Allen in 2007, brother, Andre and sister, Renee.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, October 22nd, at 11:00am, at Cross of Christ Lutheran Church in Houston with the Reverend Lane Zaffke officiating. Burial will be in Stone Church Cemetery. Visitation will be from 9:30am until the time of service at the church on Saturday. Please share a memory of Mary with her family, sign her online guestbook or view her video tribute when it becomes available online at: www.hofffuneral.com
Tribute video can be found at: http://videos.lifetributes.com/254381
Tributes
"Mary and I go back a long way. In fact soon after she came to Houston we were neighbors. At one time we were together in HHDC, the doll club Marie started in Houston. We enjoyed many years together as part of that group. Later we went to Spring Grove quilting. When we car pooled we would meet in front of Mary's house and go on to where ever we had plans to be. I can't tell you how sad it was doing that this last month and not seeing Mary come out to go along. Mary was a very caring, loving lady and I will forever miss her as a special friend. Margaret"
"Thank you Mary for being a part of the Marie Lipstadt-Pinhas' story. Thank you for visiting Marie in Belgium, for taking photos of the soldier she had searched 65 years for, Harry Hendersin, to her and for sharing your experiences with her. Marie talked so much about you. With thanks to the Channel 8 news team we were able to 'see' and 'get to know' you, in the video footage. Sincere condolences to your family from the UK. Rest in peace Mary."
"We were blessed to have met Mary, a woman of strength and courage, during an unexpected connection and reuniting of Harry Hendersin, a WWII vet, and a Holocaust Survivor from Belgium just a little over a year ago. Marie Lipstadt-Pinhas was looking to thank the unknown US Soldier who had gotten her a dress after she had been released from a concentration camp. Mary just happened to be traveling to Brussels and was able to visit with Marie and returned with gifts. News Channel 8 filmed a story and it was Mary who read Marie's 1969 letter to the then unknown soldier. This is when we learned Mary's story and met her children Denise and Kim. Your family has our sympathy and prayers! May you be carried through this difficult time by knowing how much she was admired."
"It has been an honor to get to know Mary in the last few months. I am even more honored to be able to put her story together so that future generations will know and be inspired by her. She was a remarkable woman at every stage of her life. I am so sorry for your loss."
"I had the honor of working with Mary at Lutheran Hospital for years on 3 West. She was a fantastic person and nurse. We had a great lunch together the past year in Caledonia. I will miss her everlasting always smiling face."
"What a great honor & privilege it has been for me to meet Mary and learn from her. She has been so generous with her time and energy over the years - making history come to life with the candid retelling of her stories. What a loss this is for her family and for all of us. Thank you Mary for enriching my life with your courage, your warmth and your spirit of generosity."
"I can remember my mother talking about Mary with much admiration and respect while they were in Quilting club together. They shared many a stories and quilt ideas/patterns. I have seen some of Mary's creativity in her quilting and she made many wonderful things. Although I did not know Mary myself, I trusted my mothers opinion of her and aftering reading this obituary I can understand how wonderful of a person she is. Her memories are incredible I am sure. God's blessings to family and friends"
"I have many fond memories of Mary while growing up in Houston. Girl Scouts and ear piercing to name a couple and of course the family connection between Our Own Hardware and the Vathings. My sympathies to the family. Carey"
"I was fortunate to work with Mary on almost a nightly basis during the 13 years I worked at Lutheran, and the highlight of each night was seeing Mary. Our relationship grew into a lifelong friendship. Over the years, many of my return trips to LaCrosse included side trips to Houston just to see Mary and Allen. I saw her compassion and care at work for her patients, but her caring for her family and friends and even greater. I counted Mary as one of my favorite friends and I loved her dearly, she touched my heart and my soul unlike any other person I ever known. She truly was special. Sympathy to all her family and to everyone who had the great fortune of being touched by Mary's life."
"It was an honor to hear your mother/grandmother speak at Viterbo College several years ago. I admire her willingness to teach all of us, and especially school aged students about the WW II Resistance and the horrors of the Holocaust. Her talks at various venues were important and inspirational."
"We extended our deepest sympathy to you for your tragic loss of your loved one. Words can not express the sadness we are feeling for you. She will be missed by all who had the pleasure of crossing her path. May God be with you and your family. Someone once told me God doesn't give more then you can handle, trust in your faith and he shall see you all through this. "
"I was privilaged to know and work with Mary at Gundersen-Lutheran. As a WW11 history buff Mary's past totally enteranced me. Her life and story was an inspiration to many and her memeory and legacy will live forever. My thoughts and prayers to her family. We will miss her."
"i was very lucky to work with mary on the night shift at gundersen luthern.she was such a good nurse and i really learned so much from her.she cared for her patients as well as the nurses she worked with. i remember she called her mother one night and because i had taken high school french i got to talk to her. that was fun! and she told us how alan had her bath ready for her every morning.what a loving and caring relationship they had.she was a great lady and i hope you have many happy memories to fill your hearts."
"Mireille was one of the most joyful people I have ever known. She made life better for patients and staff at Lutheran Hospital with her cheerfulness and kindness, her enthsiastic smile and exhuberance. We loved her!!! I'm sure she brought"Joy To The World" for all of her 87 years."
"Dear Andre, What a wonderful mother you have. I now know where you got your good looks..you look just like your mother. I will be out of town on the 22nd, but will be thinking of you and your family. God bless. bob ellis"
"Dear Andre, What a wonderful mother you have. I now know where you got your good looks..you look just like your mother. I will be out of town on the 22nd, but will be thinking of you and your family. God bless. bob ellis"
"Andre, Denise, and Kim, Your mother was such a lovely lady. I remember so vividly my grandma telling the story of your mother arriving in Houston. I believe she stayed with grandma and grandpa until your dad arrived home from the war. Her life story was amazing and I can't imagine what she went through during that time. She will be missed by many who knew her Through God's grace and glory she will live again. Be at peace with your memories! My deepest sympathy. Sharon"
"Your mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, was an LPN working nights when this young nurse arrived as the new night nurse. Mireille was the brightest, kindest, and most resourceful person I have ever worked with. She taught me about human kindness and empathy along with having some of the sharpest assessment skills I've ever wtnessed. Her memory will always be carried as simply, one of thefinest persons I have ever known. You have my sympathy in these hard times."
"I first heard Mary speak when I was in 5th grade, and last year had the honor of interviewing her for a college project. I did a project on the role of photography in the life of migrants, and was able to sit down for a couple hours and go through Mary's scrapbooks with her. It was such a blessing to hear her stories not just of life during the war, but also of life after and having all those stories illustrated through her photos. She cared so deeply for everything in her life from her family, to her work, to her Girl Scout troop:-) She is an incredible woman who lived such a full life. I will forever feel blessed that I had the pleasure to meet such a brave, sweet woman. To her family- May God bless and be with you in your hard times, and may he help you to always remember the joy Mary shared with you and every person she encountered."
"You have my sympathy. Mary will be missed, she was a special lady."
"Im so sorry for your loss. I remember her as a wonderful girl scout leader and as a little girl I remember loving to listen to her talk (the acent) .May god bless you all,shes in good hands now."
"It was a honor to know this wonderful lady. We were so pleased to had have Mary as a guest speaker for our St. Mary's Catholic Women's Area Meeting, in Houston, 2 years ago, what a journey she took as on, complete with pictures, I will never forget it, and I can guarentee no one else there will either, we spoke of that "journey" at almost every meeting for quite a while afterwards. Thanks again Mary. My deepest sympathy to the family, my thoughts and prayers are with you all."
"I remember Mary being my girl scout leader and how she made it so fun for me. Helping us earn our badges must have been difficult some days but she always kept a smile on her face and got us through all the years we were together. I am so happy that I got to stop and say "hi" to her during Hoedown this year. She gave me such a big hug and remembered who I was after all the years I have been gone from Houston. You have my deepest sympathy. "
"It was my personal pleasure and also the pleasure of some 400+ students of the Fillmore Central Middle School to listen and learn of her war experiences during our WW II Interdisciplinary Unit. What a special individual she was to do what she did, and to also be so willing to share the experience(s) with others. Wonderful lady!"
"The brave, courageous and patient Begium War Bride came to the United States fo the love of an American Serviceman. Mireille Rostad became a wonderful and loving role model for her children and her children's children. She worked hard in a country that wasn't always the friendliest, but she made the most of her life and dedicated her life to bridge the many gaps that were missing from the homeland, but replaced in her own home. Mirelle gave this country her greatest contribution, her children. God bless her courageous soul and may she rest in peace knowing that her War Bride legacy will never be lost. We will keep her legacy going through our WWII War Brides Association. I wish Denise and the rest of her family my condolences during this difficult time of transition. On behalf of the WWII War Brides Association we salute our sister War Bride Mireille. May God bless her and her loving family. "