Dr. Rosemary Therese Ann Wass

Dr. Rosemary Theresa Ann Wass, age 89, of Yankton, South Dakota, died Sunday, September 22, 2019 at Avera Sister James Care Center in Yankton. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 AM on Friday, September 27, 2019, at St. Benedict Catholic Church in Yankton with Reverend Scott Traynor and Monsignor Carlton Hermann officiating. Burial will be in St. Bonaventure Cemetery in Columbus, Nebraska at a later date. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the Mass on Friday at St. Benedict Catholic Church. Arrangements are under the direction of the Wintz & Ray Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Yankton. Dr. Rosemary Wass was born March 1, 1930, in Columbus, Nebraska to William Jake and Rose (Jazwick) Wass. She grew up in Columbus and was a member of St. Anthony Catholic Church in Columbus. She attended St. Anthony Grade School and graduated from St. Bonaventure High School. She then entered into the vocational life and joined the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia in Nashville, Tennessee. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Siena College in 1962, then her Master’s from Creighton University in 1968 and finally her Doctorate Degree in Philosophy from the University of Cincinnati in 1973. She then taught as a professor in Buffalo, NY, Denver, CO and Albuquerque, NM before moving to Yankton where she taught at Yankton College until its closing in 1984. Rosemary was a sweet, kind, caring, and reserved woman who was very devoted to the Blessed Mother. She loved her flower garden, reading and praying the rosary. Her dogs were her constant companions and she showered them with love. Survivors include her brother, Dr. Donald Wass of Richardson, Texas; many nieces and nephews; and great nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, three sisters: Orletha Elliott, Marie Stoltenberg and Marcy Geck; and two brothers, Rev. Meldon Wass and Rev. Lauren Buzynski. In lieu of flowers memorial may be made to The House of Mary Shrine, PO Box 455, Yankton, SD 57078.