Local Riverside/San Bernardino obituaries and
death notices are generally provided by funeral homes and may be
edited for length by InstantRiverside.com. Basic obituaries
are published as a public service.

Theresa Rodosevich was born in Shreveport, Louisiana where her father found work as a draftsman  and cartographer.  She was the only child of Edwin and Lena Reinheimer, both from large families in St. Louis, Missouri.  When she was three her family moved from Louisiana to Los Angeles when her father followed work out west.  She was witness to the growth of Southern California as she grew up in Los Angeles during the ’20s and ’30s.  She attended Nativity Catholic School and Catholic Girls’ High School, graduating in 1938.  Her father wanted her to follow in his footsteps and urged her to enroll in Otis Art Institute after high school.

She left Otis at the start of World War II to work at North American Aviation.  Those years were an experience she would never forget and often talked about with pride.  She installed the instrument panels on P-51s and B-25s.  As the war wound down she and her mother both lost their jobs at North American so she set off for St. Louis with her mother and a friend to return to her family’s roots.  Three women in the winter traveling across the country in her ‘36 Chevy was quite an adventure.

She stayed in St. Louis and got a job.  She met her beloved husband Frank Radosevich and they were married on July 27, 1946.  They lived their early married life in a small apartment with no running water.  Their first son, Michael Edwin, was born in June of 1947.  Although it wasn’t apparent in the first year, he was born with cerebral palsy.  Despite some relatives urging her to institutionalize him, she loved Mike dearly and cared for him like a baby until God took him in 1959 at the age of 11.  She called him “A pretty baby” and “her wonderful burden in life”.

They moved to California in 1949 into a duplex next to her mother.  In 1952 they moved to Bellflower and bought their home of 57 years.  After ten years of fearing another birth God gave them two more children; Ken and Carol.  In 1991 she was blessed with her first grandchildren, twins Mike and Louisa, then Nicky in 1995.  She loved her grandchildren as her own and always ended a call or left a visit with the admonition to “give the kids a hug”.

Theresa worked at several jobs to help Frank support their family.  She always  returned to her most loved job, caring for her family.  She took pride in her home and loved decorating it.  She was her husband’s true companion and workmate.  They always worked together whether it was the yard or their cabin in Wrightwood.

A devoted mother, she was active in the Crippled Children’s Society, Boy Scouts,  and other charities.  She was also involved in her church in the Women’s Council and her Guild.  Several times the room mother, she always had cupcakes for the class on birthdays.  She was also active with Frank in the Air Force Academy Parents club.

Her artful side showed through in her love for crafts of all kinds.  She loved to sew and made clothes for her family. She took pride in the gifts she would make for her family and friends.  Her greatest love was quilting and she did it until her eyes and hands could do it no more.  She shared her craft through the Southern California Quilting Guild.

As an only child growing up away from any extended family Theresa centered her life around her family.  Most everything they did they did as a family.  There were several trips to St. Louis to connect with extended family.  They also loved their trailer taking several trips with their children and in retirement with their camping club.  She also loved making traditions.  Holidays were always special times filled with large dinners and special treats.  Her Christmas cookies were always a favorite.
Despite her children’s urgings and three artificial joints, Theresa was fiercely independent and lived in her home until a fractured pelvis finally caused her to move into assisted living.  She grew to love the activities and the caregivers but she developed heart problems in the spring which she was unable to fight off.

She had a full life of 89 years.   She witnessed births, enjoyed holidays, attended graduations and Eagle and Gold Scout awards.  She had written the story of her life. God knew she was ready to move on and took her quietly to be with her husband and son.  She will always be remembered for her love for her family and friends and her spirit lives on in all those she touched.

Filed under Obituaries

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

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