Rosamond Mary Sturk

Rosamond Sturk died peacefully on February 15, 2025 in Ottawa, at her care home residence.

Predeceased by her husband of 71 years, (James) Oliver Sturk, loving mother of Gregory, Murray (Louise), Sheila (Martin), “Grandma” to Veronica (Pearce) and Savannah (Conor), Jamie (Bridie), Daniel, and made recently a proud great grandmother to Sawyer James Craig.

Rosamond was born in San Diego, California, her parents Avard and Jessie (Marchbank) Withers, moved back to Sans Salvador soon after her birth where her father worked for AT&T American Telephone and Telegraph. Rosamond had an exotic and sometimes eventful, childhood growing up in San Salvador, a vibrant country prone to revolution.

Rosamond spent her early years playing tennis, swimming, learning piano and studying literature. She was homeschooled by her mother until the age of 15, when she was sent to Virginia Intermont, (Bristol, Virginia), a private boarding high school for furthering the education of women.

While at V.I., Rosamond’s summers were divided between two very different worlds—one in the heart of America, Washington, D.C., with her cherished aunts, who worked at the British embassy, and the other in San Salvador, where she reunited with her parents.

Encouraged by her father to embrace his birthplace, Rosamond enrolled at Acadia University where she immersed herself in the study of Romance Languages to add to her fluent Spanish - as well as secretarial studies. At Acadia she met her husband, (James) Oliver Sturk, an engineering student from Morristown, a small farming community. 

Rosamond and Oliver were married after graduation, and lived and worked in Halifax for 3 years, where they had their sons, Gregory and Murray. After a subsequent move to Valcartier, Quebec, Oliver continued his work for National Defense, Rosamond and Oliver finally settled in Ottawa in 1957.

In Ottawa, they bought a house on Parkway Drive, where they would build a home for the next 50 years. It was here that they welcomed their third child, Sheila, formed lasting friendships through their community, and expansive volunteer work at Bromley Road Baptist Church. Their home became the heart of countless family gatherings and was host to the many Nova Scotia family members who came to visit.

Fiercely proud of her family, Rosamond spoke often of her father’s war record: he fought in 3 major battles with the Canadian army in France in WWI. She was proud of her heritage: Scottish ancestry, Canadian roots and her upbringing in Central America.

An instinctively curious person, Rosamond valued education, something she reinforced with her children and grandchildren as she read to them constantly. She remained connected to Acadia as a valued Alumni.

An excellent cook with an insatiable desire to feed people, an accomplished seamstress, a mean bowler, a voracious reader, a shark at bridge – our loving mom and grandma had many skills, but she will be remembered for her generosity, her kindness, her strength in caring for Oliver, and her devotion to her family, especially her grandchildren.

She will be missed not only by her immediate family and friends, but by the many Sturk nieces and nephews and their families, who enjoyed her hospitality over the years.

The family would like to thank the compassionate nursing staff and care workers at Amica Westboro, and Redwoods Retirement Home.

A funeral service will be held on Friday, February 28, 2025 at Bromley Road Baptist Church, 1900 Lauder Dr, at 11:00am, reception to follow. A private interment at Pinecrest Ceremony will be held after the reception. The service will be live streamed: www.youtube.com/@brbcottawa.

Donations in lieu of flowers would be kindly appreciated at the Ottawa Humane Society or Bromley Road Baptist Church.