Obituary of Josephine Helen Bushroe
Josephine Helen Bosenbark was born in Monroe, Michigan on January 16, 1933. She was one of six children born from the union of Garold and Edna (Foster) Bosenbark. Jo was a proud alumnus of Lincoln Elementary School in Monroe and actively planned an annual reunion with her schoolmates. She attended Monroe High School, graduating with the class of 1952.
On September 26,1959 Josephine wed her one and only true love, Gale Bushroe. They enjoyed thirty-two years of marriage and were blessed with one son and one daughter. Jo was employed at the JC.Penney store in downtown Monroe in the late 1950’s. Throughout her life she worked as a retail associate and as a prep cook at various restaurants, including Pete’s Garage. In 2000, she retired from the Elder-Beerman Home Store in Monroe.
Josephine was a talented seamstress and could sew anything from curtains to clothes. She also enjoyed crocheting blankets and beanie hats. A doll collector herself, Jo made baby doll clothes which she used to adorn the dolls displayed at the Monroe County Historical Museum and were given away to children at Christmastime. She enjoyed the challenge of putting together jig-saw puzzles and expressing her creativity with adult coloring books. Jo never missed an episode of Gunsmoke or Little House on the Prairie. She took pride in her home and yard, cultivating a beautiful flower garden every summer. A social butterfly, Josephine was spunky and quick-witted. She loved to make others laugh with her simple original puns. Jo could be described as “bullheaded” but always had the best intentions and loved her family more than anything else.
Josephine Helen Bushroe, age 88, passed away at the Oasis Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Monroe on Friday, July 2, 2021. In addition to her husband, Gale, who passed away in 1991, her passing was preceded by her parents; a son in-law: Gary Donnell; two brothers: Everett Bosenbark and Russell Bosenbark; and a sister: Marguerite Williamson.
To cherish her memory, Josephine leaves a son: Robert (Terrie) Bushroe of Dixie, West Virginia; a daughter: Karen Donnell of Monroe; two sisters: Violet Barton of Monroe and Marjory Calkins of Ida; grandchildren: Jessica (John) Kelley and Andrew Bushroe (Chelsea); and great grandchildren: Jessica Marie Brown, Chandler James West (Ashley Auer), Riley Grace Kelley, and Connor Anthony Wayne Kelley.
Interment at Roselawn Memorial Park in LaSalle, Michigan will be private. Arrangements have been entrusted to Merkle Funeral Service, North Monroe; 2442 North Monroe Street, Monroe, Michigan 48162 (734) 384-5185.
