Rosemary Kathryn Behrens passed away peacefully on March 8, 2022 at The Peninsula Regent surrounded by family. Rosemary lived a full and wonderful life. Rosemary was born on December 15, 1934 to the late Martin Louis and Esther Behrens Schultz. Her upbringing on a farm in Iowa and her family's involvement in the Lutheran Church led Rosemary to value hard work, as it was part of her daily life, but also to have faith in God and herself no matter the hardships she encountered. She graduated from Concordia Teachers College in Seward, Nebraska and began her teaching career in Kansas in 1956 before marrying her husband, Gary Behrens. Rosemary and Gary were married in 1957, and following their wedding, Gary was called to Redeemer Lutheran Church in Redwood City, California to found and start a school. They began their lifelong adventure in California as newlyweds and were the first two teachers at Redeemer. Rosemary transitioned to public school education in 1967 in the Redwood City School district. She was a teacher, school administrator, and ended her full-time career in a district office administrative position as the Coordinator of Technology. She planned and helped design the media/technology labs at all 16 Redwood City Schools. She received a Master of Arts in Instructional Technology from San Jose State University and a Master of Arts in School Administration from Santa Clara University. In retirement beginning in 2008, Rosemary worked part-time for the Redwood City School District in the technology department and as a Reading Recovery Specialist at Hawes Elementary. She also taught technology classes at Redeemer Lutheran School. At age 80, Rosemary had her final educational role when she was asked to open up a kindergarten class at Hawes School due to overfull enrollment in Redwood City.

Rosemary wrote in her journal "working with kids is the world's greatest profession and continues to be my passion, privilege and joy in life".

Rosemary's family meant everything to her. She was the proud mother of three children- Rebecca, Jennifer and Jonathan. She adored her 9 grandchildren- Jessica, Jennifer, Amanda, Jordan, Lauren, Madeline, Cameron, Alexis and Kennedy. She continued to follow each of their passions by attending sports games, performances, school events, and act as a babysitter and chauffer as needed. She instilled in them the same values that she embodied – joy, faith and fun. She had a very special way of connecting deeply with each of her grandkids and was someone each could also call a friend. She was further blessed with 6 great grandchildren – Riley, Madeline, Avery, Jeffrey, Otto and Jamie. She was known as "Gigi" (Great Grandma) and continued to participate in great-grandkids' events sharing her special words of wisdom with each of them.

Rosemary was a "hostess with the mostest" and enjoyed opening her home to friends, school staff, choir groups and all people in her life. There was nothing she loved more than to gather people for an evening of fun. Her ability to create and design beautiful ambiance with candlelight, flowers and a perfectly set table made everyone feel important and welcomed.
She and Gary also shared a passion for golf and spent many happy times on the links. She always made music a special part of her life. She was known to say, "That music just makes my heart sing" when she heard something she loved. Throughout the years she sang in the Redeemer Choir under the direction of her husband, played in the bell choir, and joined the Stanford Chorale. She found great joy being a volunteer at the Stanford Cancer Center for 7 years where her connections with people and ability to show empathy made her a valued part of the program. After Gary's death in 2015, she made the decision to move to The Peninsula Regent where she quickly became a vital part of the community. She sang in the choir, played bridge bi-weekly, participated in the Bocci Ball League, served as a new member host and took advantage of the yoga and fitness classes. She also continued with her tech support, teaching classes and tutorials on iPhone and iPad uses. In August 20, 2021 she was recognized as one of four Seniors living at the Peninsula Regent by San Mateo County as a great contributor to the Peninsula community and was commended for her dedication to education. Her award signed by Congresswoman Jackie Speier reads, "Your unrelenting devotion to making an impact on the lives of children will continue to have a positive and lasting effect"

Rosemary is survived by her children Rebecca Lynn Berry (Jeffrey), Jennifer Lynn Montalvo (Jim) and Jonathan Gary Behrens (Kim). She leaves behind her older brother Arnold Schultz (Imogene) and brother-in-law Tim Behrens (Pat). She will be missed by her 9 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. She is survived by loving nieces and nephews her were lucky enough to call her Aunt and many wonderful friends.

Rosemary's ability to light up a room with her positive spirit and find joy in all things touched all those around her. She leaves a legacy of faith and love and was a shining example of a beautiful life.

Rosemary's celebration of life service will be on Saturday, March 26 at 3:00 pm at Redeemer Redwood City
Memorial gift contributions can be sent to:
Redeemer Redwood City Church and School
468 Grand Street
Redwood City, CA. 94062