Rosalie Mae Weisenberger
Rosalie Mae Weisenberger, loving mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, passed away in Atascadero, California on March 17, 2022. She was born in Porterville on August 29, 1926, the daughter of Virgil and Melvin Tharp. She lived in Porterville for most of her life.
Rosalie was predeceased by Calvin, her husband of 74 years, and her brother Herbert Tharp. Rosalie is survived by her daughter Diane (Kent), sons Gary (Nancy) and Neal (Sharon), grandsons Mark (Amy) and Jason (Jennifer) Sanctuary, great-grandchildren Abigail, Nicholas, Benjamin, and Caleb Sanctuary, and sisters Fern Miner and Jeanette Dickson.
Melvin, Rosalie’s dad, was a farmer in Porterville. Despite the difficulties of the Depression, the family survived on the vegetable garden, fruit trees, cows, milk, chickens, and eggs they produced. Rosalie recalled going barefoot all summer, sleeping outside during the hot nights, and making their own clothes.
Rosalie attended Burton School and graduated from Porterville Union High School in 1944. A short time later she met Calvin Weisenberger, a hard-working young man, and in October 1944 they began to date. After a whirlwind courtship they were married on March 11, 1945, and moved into a small house on 20 acres, in the northeast part of Porterville. Soon they began a family daughter, Diane, and two sons, Gary and Neal. They lived in their home until 2017 when it was necessary to move to assisted living. In 2019 she was moved to Ingleside By the Lake, a residential care facility in Atascadero, to be closer to Gary and Nancy. What made their 74+ year marriage work was complete devotion to each other, loyalty and commitment to their marriage vows, and love for their family and God.
Rosalie had a sharp wit, playful sense of humor, and liked to tease. When her children were growing up, she was actively involved in 4-H and PTA. For eleven years she was a leader in Burton 4-H. She was also president of the PTA at Roche Avenue Elementary, Bartlett Junior High, and Porterville High School. She served as President of the 21st District, California, PTA and was a recipient of the PTA National Honorary Service award, the first in the history of the local Porterville PTA. She gave much time and assistance in the staging of the annual 4-H Chuckwagon breakfasts. At her church, Porterville First Baptist, she taught Sunday School and helped with other youth activities in numerous ways and was the treasurer for many years. For over 50 years she was Mrs. Santa Claus. During the Christmas season Calvin played Santa at many Porterville events—rosalie made his Santa suits and assisted wherever needed.
During her later years she created many crafts, including counted cross stitch, needlepoint, painted ceramics, and making Christmas ornaments. At election time she served as a poll worker and served on the Tulare County Grand Jury. Many times, Rosalie and Calvin would go to Lancaster to help their son Neal judge flowers at the Antelope Valley Fair. During many Christmas seasons they worked on the floats for the Rose Parade.
A memorial service and celebration of life will be held at noon on Saturday, May 28, in the fellowship hall at First Baptist Church, 101 North G Street, Porterville, California. Rosalie loved butterflies, so in honor of Rosalie, we ask that in lieu of flowers you consider donating to support the western monarch butterfly on its continued journey of life. To donate visit https://centralcoastparks. org/donate/ When leaving your personalized ‘donation’ dedication message make sure to include “in honor of Rosalie Weisenberger” in the memo or donate to the Porterville Museum.