Obituary of Rosemarie Elaine Braatz

Rosemarie Elaine Vezina Braatz of St. Croix Falls, passed away at age 82 on November 11, 2014. Rosemarie was born April 5,1932 in Milwaukee, the first of eight children born to Fritz and Betty (Braun) Gawlitta. She lived with her immigrant parents and extended family in a rooming house in downtown Milwaukee. At a young age, they moved to Bay View where she grew up with her six surviving brothers in an apartment above her parent’s shoe store. A member of the National Honor Society, she graduated from High School in 1950. She earned BS degree in journalism with a Minor in psychology from University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1954. Rosemarie met her first husband Jack (AJ) Vezina while attending college. The couple moved to St. Croix Falls in 1956 to operate the family-owned Standard Press newspaper. It was during this time that her father-in-law (WR Vezina) sparked her interest in local history when he asked her to write a story about a local landmark. While raising her family of four children, she investigated and wrote news articles as well as weekly features including “Don’t Quote Me But” for the Standard Press. She was also a free-lance feature writer for the St. Paul Pioneer-Press and Milwaukee Journal. Always an animal advocate, while in the newspaper business she worked to find homes for many stray dogs and cats. After leaving the newspaper business in 1970, she began a 23-year-long career with the federal government first in lands acquisition at the St Croix National Scenic Riverway and then as a writer/editor for the Corp of Engineers in St. Paul where she met her current husband, Jim Braatz. Her published works include booklets: ‘Nevers Dam…The Lumberman’s Dam’, ‘The Battle of St. Croix Falls’, ‘Harnessing the Power, The Story and Construction of the Dam and Hydropower Plant of the Falls of the St. Croix River’ and in 2005 the book entitled ‘St. Croix Tales and Trails’, which is a compilation of the namesake weekly articles. She was co-founder, along with Helen McCann White, of the ‘Dalles Visitor’ annual paper in 1969 and continued as a regular contributor until 2008. Rosemarie was instrumental in the commissioning of historical markers and plaques in the St. Croix Falls area. She was honored as the Polk County Historical Society's 'Woman of the Year' in 2006, and is the namesake for St. Croix Falls' newest park, Park Rosemarie, which was dedicated in 2009. She represented St. Croix Falls as the Grand Marshal of the Wannigan Days parade in 2007 and again in 2013. Preceded in death by parents Fritz and Betty Gawlitta and brother Frederick. Survived by husband James Braatz, Gawlitta brothers: Ronald (Judy), Robert (Sandra), Roger (Kelly), Roy (Beverly), Rudy (Linda), and Ramon, daughter Liesel Virchow (Jeff), sons Martin Vezina (Carrie), Richard Vezina (Susan), and Bill Vezina (Sue), step children Myrtia Greffin (Bill) and Damian Braatz (Dave), as well as 10 grandchildren and 2 step grandchildren and her dog Redi. Visitation is at 1:00 followed by a celebration of life service at 3:00 on Tuesday, November 18th, at the Taylors Falls United Methodist Church, 290 W. Government St., Taylors Falls, MN, officiated by Celebrant Danette Olsen. Memorial contributions may be made to the St. Croix Falls Historical Society or the animal rescue organization of the donor’s choice.