Rosella Reimer Duerksen died at home in Tucson, AZ on April 30, 2020. She was born on January 12, 1926, on the 46th birthday of her father. A day which should have been joyful for her family, Maria and Abraham Boese and Rosella’s five siblings, turned into a day of tragedy when her mother died. Abraham Boese, in his state of grief, turned for help to the first cousin and very, close friend of his wife, Katharina Voth Reimer and husband Thomas Reimer. At first, her birth father was unwilling to consider adoption by the Reimer family, saying that he could never give up a child. However, several months later, tragedy hit a second time in the form of a car accident which left Abraham Boese with a broken back, an ultimately fatal injury in those times. He then consented to a permanent adoption. Thus, Rosella grew up as part of the Reimer family, while, at the same time, experiencing the continuing love of her Boese siblings.
The Alexanderwohl Mennonite Community in central Kansas, where Rosella was born and lived through college, provided strong nourishment in the Christian faith, in academic leadership, and especially in music. Thus, after completing a B.A. degree at Bethel College, North Newton, Kansas, she attended Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, earning the Masters of Music Degree. She returned to Bethel College to teach for several years. After marrying Harold Duerksen, both moved to New York City and continued their education at Union Theological Seminary. Rosella earned her Doctor of Sacred Music Degree in conjunction with The Julliard School of Music and Columbia University Graduate College of Music. Following graduation, Rosella and her husband moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where her husband worked at the University of Michigan in the School of Religion. Here she experienced her first bit of discrimination when, having applied for a church music position, she was informed by a committee member that “Your resume is very impressive, but we are afraid the tenors of the choir will not accept a woman conductor!” So, Rosella organized a semi-professional choral ensemble which was named the “Ann Arbor Cantata Singers” (still in existence-she conducted a part of their 50th anniversary concert in April 2011). Soon thereafter, she was also employed as the Choral Director at Trinity Lutheran Church in Ann Arbor. (The Pastor was a member of the “Cantata Singers”.)
Moving to Iowa City with her husband when he was offered a position at the University of Iowa School of Religion, Rosella served from 1966 to 1980 as the Director of Music for First Presbyterian Church. Here she built a strong music program, with choirs for children, teenagers, and adults. Her choirs regularly performed major works of musical art. She organized a semi-professional choral society, The Iowa City Chamber Singers. In addition to performing a yearly concert series, in 1972, she founded an Annual Bach Festival. She had the help of Doris Preucil, prominent Suzuki teacher, in addition to her husband. The Bach Festival featured a wide variety of Bach works: oratorios, cantatas, and orchestral works. Guest conductors for the Bach Festivals included Helmut Rilling, Thor Johnson, Thomas Dunn, and Ifor Jones.
In 1980, Rosella moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, where her husband had taken a position with the University of Arkansas, Little Rock. Here she became the Music Director of a semi-professional choral group, the Arkansas Chamber Singers, (which had the honor of singing for the inauguration of President Bill Clinton) and again developed a strong music program at Second Presbyterian Church. In this church she initiated an annual Religious Arts Festival, which brought religious art exhibitions, Hymn Festivals featuring prominent organists, and Choral Concerts to the community. She retired from Second Presbyterian in 2000 and moved to Tucson, AZ.
After “retirement” and moving to Tucson, AZ, Rosella was active in the local American Guild of Organists, working as a program chair for a number of conferences, and continuing to serve in the music programs of both St. Philip’s in the Hills Episcopal Church and St. Frances Cabrini Church, where she was the music director for over 10 years.
Rosella and her husband are the parents of three children; Kathleen, Reconstructive and Plastic Surgeon in Tucson (husband, Kevin Finnegan, Kristina, living in San Diego, and handicapped son Tom, living in Tucson under the loving care of Sandy Lein. Also, in the family are grandson, Edward, and great-grandson, Micah.
Due to state mandates and the serious nature of COVID-19, the family will have a private service. Interment will be in Alexanderwohl Church Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to “The Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra”, 2581 N 1st Ave., Tucson, AZ , 520-308-6226; or Habitat for Humanity , 1800-422-4828; habitat.org; Habitat for Humanity, 322 West Lamar street, Americas, Georgia 31709-3543 and sent in care of Miller-Ott Funeral Home, P.O. Box 96, Goessel, KS. 67053.