Rosalie West Randall

Rosalie West Randall was born on March 19, 1943, at Florence Nightingale, now Baylor Hospital, Dallas, Texas, Rosalie passed away Tuesday, September 5th, 2023.   Dallas was where her parents were born and grandparents, great-grandparents, and cousins lived, with roots in South Dallas.

Returning home, after serving in World War II, her father needed a building for his upholstery business (his family trade) and none were available in Dallas.  Her parents and herself moved to East Texas (great-uncle Willie West lived at Old London), outside of Overton, in Sexton City.  It was such a wonderful time of her life between the ages of three and eight years old.   She so loved the companionship of two horses (owned by the landlord of the rented farmhouse where she lived) and began riding at an early age.  Experiencing farm life of chickens, turkeys, rabbits, and a few hogs, it was very disappointing when her family moved back to Dallas during her mid-term of 3rd grade at New London.  They moved to Oak Cliff and lived there until she graduated from Sunset High School in 1961.  She and Jerry Wayne Randall first saw one another at the Texas Theatre and were married February 9, 1962 (at Lake Highlands Baptist Church in Dallas), for 49 years, until his death March 12, 2011.

After graduation, and prior to her marriage, her parents and herself moved to the White Rock area near Casa Linda.  She attended the Executive Secretarial School, which was her vocation, worked at Republic National Bank for 10 months, later at SMU for seventeen years.   After their marriage, they continued to live close to her parents and were proud parents of Jerry Jr., 1963, Julia Lea, 1967.  They became adoptive parents of Julia’s children Jamie Leanna and James Perry, due to devastating loss of life of Julia, April 10, 1993.

When her surviving parent, her father, had passed September 22, 2001, Jerry Sr. wanted to move back to his hometown of Kemp, TX.   As that had been the plan, prior to their engagement, for them to retire where his parents, grandparents, great-grandparents had lived, they moved outside of Kemp in the summer of 2002, and ‘got out of Dodge’ as Jerry Sr. would say.  Jerry enjoyed re-connecting with classmates (inviting them to his house), his relatives, and attended the sports games at Kemp School where he had graduated in 1956, having been active in sports.  He loved to fish and plant his beloved tomatoes.

They joined Cedar Creek Lake United Methodist Church in Tool, TX, where the children were involved in activities (as they had been at White Rock United Methodist Church in Dallas) and Rosalie later sang in the Choir for a number of years.

Rosalie enjoyed being president of the El Progresso Club of Kemp for seven years; president of the Literary Club of Cedar Creek, Seven Points; and a member of the Women’s Club of Cedar Creek Lake.  Also, after renewing her Amateur Radio License, had enjoyed being in the Cedar Creek Amateur Radio Club where Jerry had been a member. 

Gun Barrel City #1114, Order of the Eastern Star, Rainbow Girls, of Gun Barrel City, had been her main focus since moving to Cedar Creek Lake and was honored to be a Deputy for a year and later served as Secretary to the Chapter.  She became a member of Eastern Star in Dallas a year after the passing of her mother.  Her family had a history of Masons, Eastern Star, and Rainbow involvement.  She continued to be a member of Daughters of the Nile, Sharuhan Temple No. 127, Tyler, and the Social Order of the Beauceants, Assembly No. 63, Dallas.

She enjoyed cooking for her family, and OES family.  Also, she liked to sew and helped with alterations for the formals of the Rainbow Girls.  She loved everyone and would take food for those experiencing grief or in need. 

Dressing up in various costumes at Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter was her delight in seeing others’ amusement until she decided she was too old to continue. She had been known to visit the Nursing Home in Kemp and take candies to local businesses in costumes.

Rosalie passed away at the age of 80.  She was preceded in death by her parents, Woodrow Wilson West & Ethel Mae King West, and daughter Julia Lea Randall Badgley, and loving husband of 49 years, Jerry Wayne Randall, Sr. 

Survivors include her son and daughter-in-law, Jerry Wayne & Laura Randall; daughter and son-in-law Jamie Leanna & Ethan Dunagan; and son James Perry Randall, his daughters (great-granddaughters) Wendolyn Rose Bates-Randall, and Aurora Lea Randall.

Any donations in her memory would be appreciated to Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, Dallas, Texas.