Rosemary Louise Best

Beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, friend, and faithful Catholic, Rosemary Louise (Ryan) Best, passed away peacefully on Friday, September 22, 2023. Born in 1941 to Timothy Edward and Ellen Genevieve Ryan, Rosemary has been a lifelong resident of Jackson, MI. She graduated from St. Mary's High School in 1959. She earned an Associates degree at Jackson Community College, a Bachelors in Education at Michigan State University, and a Masters degree in Guidance and Counseling at Eastern Michigan University. Her professional career included being an elementary teacher, an adult ESL teacher, a career counselor at Jackson Community College, a guidance counselor at Jackson Catholic Middle School, and an Orton-Gilingham instructor for students with dyslexia. In her retirement, she volunteered with Maryknoll Catholic Missions and traveled to Bangkok, Thailand on three mission trips to teach English classes to Buddhist monks and children with her husband Jim.

Rosemary was a lifelong and faithful parishioner of Queen of the Miraculous Medal Church. She served as a eucharistic minister, a CCD teacher, and decades long adoration prayer partner. She was devoted to God, her family, and friends. She enjoyed gardening, traveling, her prayer group, playing bridge, making memories with her grandkids, and in recent years watching the birds and squirrels from her happy place on the deck. Her motto was "Life is Good!"

Rosemary is survived by her five children and their spouses, Juli (Greg) Gerard, Jeff (Danette) Best, Laura (Steve) Gibson, Mike (Julie) Best, and Sara (Weston) Best-Strickland; her sister Patricia Ryan, and her fifteen grandchildren, Adelaide, Kegan, Stephen, Jacob, Alyssa, Hailey, Ryan, Josie, Megan, Nicholas, Molly, Lauren, Griffin, Nolan, & Ellie; and two great-grandchildren, Isaac & Scarlett. She is also survived by her brother-in-law John Thalacker and sisters-in-law Marilyn O'Shea and Nancy Karazim; several nieces, nephews, cousins, and many devoted friends. She was preceded in death by her high school sweetheart and husband of 60 years, James Best; her parents Timothy and Ellen Ryan; sister Susanne Thalacker; in-laws Julian and Donna Best; and sister-in-law Marcia Leap.

The Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Queen of the Miraculous Medal Church on Tuesday, September 26th at 10:30 AM with Father Timothy MacDonald officiating. Visitation precedes the Mass from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM in the Church, and a reception will follow the Mass in Vincentian Hall at Queen's Church. According to her wishes, a private internment for Rosemary will be held at St. John's Catholic Cemetery. The Mass of Christian Burial will also be live streamed on Queen of the Miraculous Medal Catholic Church's Facebook page.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to one of Rosemary's favorite charities; Jackson Catholic Schools, American Cancer Society, or Henry Ford Allegiance Hospice.