Rose Lorraine (Anderson) Wolcoff

Rose Lorraine (Anderson) Wolcoff, 100, died Feb. 14, 2013.

Visitation is from 6 to 8 p.m., Feb. 27 at Anchorage Funeral Home, 1800 Dare Ave. Funeral services are at 11 a.m., March 1 at Faith Christian Community Church, 4240 Wisconsin St., Anchorage. Rose will be laid to rest next to her husband, Paul, at Anchorage Memorial Park in the spring.

Rose was born into a family of 14 children in Chignik on Feb. 13, 1913, to George and Akilina (Vozbrukhof) Anderson. When Rose was 3, her mother died and as a resul, she was placed in the Jesse Lee Home in Unalaska until 1924, when the home relocated to Seward. While at the home, Benny Benson, the designer of the Alaska State Flag, was one of Rose’s closest friends.

On Oct. 15, 1938, Rose married the love of her life, Paul Wolcoff. Rose and Paul stayed in Seward and raised their family of six children in a small but warm, openhearted home. It was a place for friends and no stranger was ever turned away. Rose and Paul cared for others, living the Golden Rule: “Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.”

In 1964 after the earthquake, Rose and Paul, having raised most of their family, decided to move to Seattle. At the 1965 Puyallup Washington State Fair, Paul bought Rose the winning raffle ticket for a brand new candy apple red Mustang — despite the fact Rose was not, nor ever became, a licensed driver in any state. This became the source of many a family story.

On July 19, 1970, Paul died while visiting family and friends in Anchorage and so Rose spent the next few decades of her life traveling between Alaska, Washington and Georgia, spending time with all of her children and their families.

One of Rose’s hobbies was embroidery, and many family members have the treasured works Rose made that she liked to call her “fancy work.” She also loved knitting, crocheting and reading her Bible. Rose was the original “Groovy Granny” who had a special knack for making each grandchild feel special and loved as if they were the only one. One of Rose’s mottos was “don’t spare your love, we each have more than enough to share with others.”

Rose could bring a smile to anyone’s face and she never met a stranger, and to know her was to love her. She was a woman of small stature but could take over a room with her quiet, yet strong, graceful and beautiful nature.

“We’ll love you forever,” the family wrote. “We’ll miss you for always, but as long as we’re living our guardian angel you’ll be.”

Preceding her in death was her soul mate, Paul Wolcoff Sr.; daughter, Carole Eady; daughter-in-law, Rhonda Wolcoff; and great-grandson, Michael Eady.

Surviving are her children, Melva Withers, Margaret Smith, Paul (Donna) Wolcoff Jr., Ruth (Lee) Hilty and Mary Wolcoff; 19 grandchildren; 40 great-grandchildren; seven great-great-grandchildren; and numerous “foster” children who became part of her family.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association of Anchorage, Children’s Hospital at Providence Hospital or Jesse Lee Home Children’s Program.