Rosa Lew Grantham

Rosa Lew Grantham, age 79, of Blackburn, Oklahoma, passed away at her home in rural Pawnee County on Friday evening, March 12, 2010 following a long illness. Rosa Lew (Keeton) Grantham was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma on September 1, 1930 to Ollie and Florence Keeton. She was named after her grandparents, Rosa and Lewis Loper of Blackburn. Rosa's parents taught school in Seminole County, and Rosa lived most of her young life in Seminole, but the family enjoyed fixing up their retirement home in Blackburn, when school was out of session. She graduated from Varnum High School with honors in 1948 and attended Oklahoma A & M College in Stillwater, later that fall. It was at college, in February of 1949, on a blind date, that she met the man who would be the only love of her life, Alva Arvilla Grantham from Boston Pool. They were married on August 26, 1949 at the Christian Church in Pawnee, and they returned to A & M College together during the fall of 1949. Their first child, Sheryl Rose, was born a year later, on August 17, 1950 in Stillwater. Rosa and her family moved to Salina, Oklahoma after Alva's graduation from Oklahoma A & M in 1951. She worked in the Child Welfare Department in Pryor for nearly ten years, helping many foster children find permanent adoptive homes, while her husband, Alva, taught Vocational Agriculture in Salina. On June 16, 1956, a second daughter, Carol Jean was born in Pryor, Oklahoma. She was named Carol because Rosa loved Christmas carols. Both girls were a blessing to their parents. While residing in Salina, the family made many lifelong friends. Rosa loved to water ski, and she enjoyed boating and fishing on Grand Lake with family and friends. In 1963, Rosa and her family moved to Cleveland, Oklahoma to be closer to family. She transferred to the Pawnee County Child Welfare office and Alva taught in Cleveland High School for nine more years. In 1964, Rosa accepted a position at the Cleveland Area Hospital as Medical Records Director, Staff Secretary and Governing Board Secretary. She loved her job and the friends she made while working at the hospital. She continued working their part-time even after her retirement. After their daughters were grown, in 1978, Rosa Lew and Alva built their ranch style home near Blackburn, Oklahoma. Alva then worked for the State of Oklahoma Agriculture Department as Plant Inspector and they were also engaged in raising cattle at the RAG Ranch. After Alva's death in 2003, Rosa continued the operation of their farm with lots of help from family, friends and neighbors. Rosa loved to fish in any type of weather, often wrapped up in a blanket near a Coleman heater for hours on end or setting on the edge of a pond into the night, waiting for a nibble. She loved to travel and camp in their motor home with friends of the Good Samís Club. She enjoyed cooking Sunday dinners for friends and family. Rosa was a cancer survivor twice in her life, but says the hardest times of her life were faced after losing her mother, daughter, father and husband. She always looked forward to meeting them healthy again. She was a true believer that we do find each other again in heaven. Rosa had few regrets in her life. She was a member of the United Methodist Church for many years and a believer in Jesus Christ. She faced lots of ups and downs in her life, especially after losing her best friend and husband. She was extremely strong willed and struggled with having to depend on others for help. She admits she brought many of her illness on herself through smoking, but also stated, "hindsight in better than foresight." She always told friends and strangers alike to quit before they ended up with an illness like hers. She felt lucky she was able to take care of her mother and father, her daughter Sherry, and her husband, Alva, with help and thanked God every day for family, friends, and caregivers. Favorite words from her grandmother, ìDo good not evil all the days of your life.î She was preceded in death by both parents, Florence Keeton in May 1984; her father, Ollie Keeton in October 1995, one month shy of 106 years old. Her daughter, Sheryl Rose passed in May 1994 at the age of 43. Her husband of fifty-three years of marriage, Alva on June 18, 2003. She is survived by one daughter, Carol Mallory and her husband, Ronny of Blackburn, Oklahoma and their daughters, Michelle and Christina; a granddaughter, April Phillip Summar, and her husband, Darren of Sand Springs, Oklahoma and their son, Rosa's great grandson, Logan Riley Summar.