Just ahead of the new year, a new Centralia resident celebrated her 100th birthday.
According to her family, she became the oldest member of the Yurok Tribe in the process. The Yurok Tribe’s reservation is located in Northern California, native to the lands around the Klamath River.
Rosemary Brasher celebrated her 100th birthday on Dec. 30 and kicked off her next trip around the sun with an open house party in her room at the Sharon Care assisted living center in Centralia.
Brasher and a few family members set up a cake and decorations and waited for staff members and extended family to pay a visit.
The centenarian's son, Warren Brasher, daughter-in-law, Darlene Brasher, and great-grandson, Dexter Rhodes, formed the welcoming party in the room, along with Rosemary, who was looking forward to seeing friends and family on Tuesday afternoon.
Rosemary is a newer resident to Centralia. She relocated to the area in October to live closer to her youngest son and his family, who have lived in the area for roughly 40 years.
Before she came to Centralia, Rosemary lived, worked and raised her children in Roseburg, Oregon, for more than 60 years. She is the family matriarch to five children, nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Rosemary was born in Requa, California, on Yurok land in the final days of 1925. Years later, she met her lifelong husband, Kenneth, while they worked together at a barrel and box factory in Arcata, California, just south of her hometown.
After meeting and starting a life together, the couple lived for a short time in Eureka, California, before moving to Roseburg, where her husband had found a job as a heavy duty machinery mechanic. Rosemary called the small southern Oregon city home until just recently.
For much of her life, Rosemary was a mother looking after her five children and the many other generations that came after. But, after raising their kids, Rosemary and Kenneth found they were searching for things to do. Looking for a hobby, Rosemary found the sport of bowling and became known for her skills on the lanes, often getting the chance to travel and compete after her children had left home.
According to Rosemary and her family, she went on long trips for bowling competitions from New York state to Florida and from Chicago to Nevada, visiting virtually every corner of the country. The centenarian beamed proudly in her room as she mentioned that she held around a 150 overall bowling score. While that score won't be winning any professional competitions, it certainly separates her from many average bowlers.
Every fall, Rosemary would take a break from bowling to go hunting with her husband. Kenneth, who came to the West Coast from his home state of Georgia, introduced Rosemary to hunting. The couple together would go on deer hunting trips throughout the Pacific Northwest in California, Oregon and Washington state, often organized with the help of Kenneth’s brother. Rosemary and her husband became known for joining the trips in their 1951 Jeep.
Now in another stage of her life, moving to a new place to be close to her youngest son, Rosemary says she is surprised to have made it to 100.
According to her and her family, she just recently received a pacemaker for her heart that should keep her going even longer.
Her family is excited to have her in Centralia so that they get the chance to spend more time with her.
Warren has taken to visiting his mother regularly and listening to her reflect on her life and tell lots of stories. Both Warren and Darlene say they’ve learned things from Rosemary in the last few months that they never heard about before, especially about Rosemary’s Yurok heritage.
