Rose Marie Durham

Rose Marie (Rettig) Durham, 83, of Florida Ohio passed away on November 23, 2025, after a brief stay at ProMedica Hospital in Toledo. Born on March 9, 1942, to F. Arthur and Louise Marie (Tietje) Rettig, Rosie graduated from Florida High School in 1960, where she participated in band as a clarinetist and was a member of both mixed chorus and girls’ glee clubs. She married Harry “Bud” Durham on March 23, 1963, and together they raised two daughters, Kathy (Jeffrey) Miller of Brownsburg, Indiana, and Michelle (Steven) Hunt of San Jose, California. A devoted member of St. John’s United Church of Christ in Holgate, Rosie served in various leadership positions, sang in the choir, and volunteered at Shalom Food Pantry, among other activities. She devoted her professional career to providing nutritious meals for area schoolchildren, beginning as a part-time dishwasher and cook at Florida Elementary and culminating as Director of Food Services for Napoleon schools. Alongside Bud, Rosie also co-founded and operated Bud’s Pick-Up Service, a respected local business, for 34 years. Family gatherings were especially meaningful to Rosie; she cherished holidays centered on her home-cooked meals and summer visits featuring camping at the Henry County Fair. During retirement, she and Bud traveled extensively, visiting grandchildren, exploring destinations throughout Europe and New Zealand, and touring the Southwest, Canada, and New England in their motor coach. She and Bud enjoyed many winters in the warm sunshine of Frostproof, Florida where they proudly raised the Buckeye flag and made many new friends from near and far. Rosie's hobbies included quilting treasured gifts for her family, doting on her cats Lucky and Jasper, and playing card games such as Euchre and Pepper. Rosie is survived by her daughters, Kathy and Michelle, and her grandchildren, Kael and Erin Miller, and Annie and Ellie Hunt. She was preceded in death by her husband Bud, parents Arthur and Louise, infant brother Richard Dean Rettig, and brother Leland “Lee” F. Rettig. A visitation will be held Saturday, December 6, 2025, beginning at 9 AM at St. John’s UCC Holgate, located at the intersection of State Route 108 and County Road J between Napoleon and Holgate, Ohio. The memorial service will follow at 11 AM. Lunch will be served in the church fellowship hall, after which interment will take place at Florida Cemetery. Messages and condolences may be shared online at rodenbergergray.com. Memorial contributions are suggested to St. John’s UCC Holgate Shalom Food Pantry. Arrangements are entrusted to Rodenberger-Gray Funeral Home, Napoleon.

Tributes

Rose Marie Durham

March 9, 1942 - November 23, 2025