Obituary of Rosemary Birch

Rosemary Birch was born in Salinas, CA to Guy and Annie Lee. She was raised with her two older brothers, Harold and Norman, and attended Sacred Heart School and Salinas High School. During high school, she met a swell guy, Jim Birch, and they married in 1950. They celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary last summer. They had four children, which she raised with an uncanny sense of intuition and possibly eyes in the back of her head. She worked as a medical transcriptionist and the family participated as active members of the Salinas Trailer Club for many years. At the age of 40, Rosemary learned to ride a motorcycle, and she and Jim joined the Salinas Ramblers Motorcycle Club. They traveled all over the state of California and beyond. She even won the American Motorcycle female rider "Miles of the Year" award. After many summer vacations in the redwoods, the family moved to Felton, CA in 1975. Rosemary grew a beautiful garden with a view of her beloved Santa Cruz Mountains. Her other hobbies included woodworking, photography, and quilting, all exemplifying her keen eye for color and design. She loved playing music in the house, dancing with Jim, and supporting the Mountain Community Theatre with her son, Randy. She enjoyed walking her dog at Henry Cowell State Park. She always carried a pouch full of dog treats, so she was well-loved at the park by all the dogs and their owners. Rosemary is survived by her husband, James Birch, two daughters, Kathleen Sherman (Dan) of St. Joseph, MI, and Luanne Oleas (Paul) of Cupertino, CA, and her son, William Birch of Cottage Grove, OR. She leaves three granddaughters, Katie Sherman, Natalie Oleas and Carlie Birch. She was preceded in death by her son, Randall Birch. She also leaves behind many caring staff members at Sunshine Villa, who helped her during her final, tough days. A memorial service will be held from 2:00 - 3:00 pm on Friday, April 8, 2016 at Sunshine Villa's Activity Room, 80 Front St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060. Parking is limited. Please carpool. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation in Rosemary's name to the Alzheimer's Association at: Alzheimer's Association, P.O. Box 96011, Washington, DC 20090-6011 or via her tribute page at: http://act.alz.org/goto/rosemary_birch