Jill Roosa

Jill Roosa, 66, of Rock Springs, passed away unexpectedly in the early hours of Wednesday, March 29th, 2023, at Deer Trail Assisted Living where she had been a resident for the past year due to an aggressive form of dementia.

She was born on January 16th, 1957 in Rock Springs to Harold Leslie (Red) and Veda (Vee) Fern (Pierce) Brangham. She was the youngest of 4 children, surprising her parents 10 years after they "thought they were all done having kids." She lived in Green River until her family moved to Rock Springs where they purchased a Rooming House on B Street when she was 4 years old. Her father passed away shortly after his retirement from Mountain Fuel when Jill was just 14. She then assisted her mother with the Rooming House, and often told stories about cleaning all the rooms and up to 15 loads of laundry that would be done in a day.

Jill attended schools in Rock Springs from Elementary through High School. She met Ernie Krause at a dance in Green River in her early teens and the two eventually married in 1975 when Jill was 18. They had a daughter, Amber, in February of 1977, but divorced later that same year.

She started dating and fell in love with Mike Roosa in 1978. They were married in Reno, NV on September 11, 1978. Jill's mother Vee also remarried in 1978, and asked that Jill and Mike live in and continue to assist in running the Rooming House on B Street. Mike and Jill's son, Andy, was born in May of 1980 and Mike adopted Amber shortly after.

Jill was a devoted wife and mother, serving as Amber's Girl Scouts Troop Leader for a time and attending every T-Ball, Football or Softball Game, band concert, award ceremony, dance performance and play that she could. When it came time for Vee to sell the Rooming House, Jill and Mike moved out and bought the first of many homes they would own together. Jill always took great care in creating a beautiful and comfortable home no matter where she lived and had a real talent for decorating.

She had an incredible work ethic and sense of determination. She made a career in retail customer service, working at several stores in the Rock Springs community throughout her life. In more recent years, she enjoyed working as a Teller and later as a Customer Service Representative at Rocky Mountain Bank. However, she is probably best known for the 14 years she was the Manager of Blockbuster Video. She experienced great success at her store, winning rewards trips to Puerto Rico, Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas and Jamaica.

Jill loved traveling, shopping, classic rock music, concerts and a good, cold beer. She and Mike enjoyed camping and boating when their kids were young and motorcycle trips and jeeping excursions once they were empty-nesters.

She was a strong, stoic woman, who would rarely shed a tear. She could be stubborn, feisty and sassy, but, at the same time, she was every bit as loving, caring, nurturing and a true, loyal friend. She was adventurous, fun and funny, known as the "cool mom", and always up for a good time. She was a fighter and a breast cancer survivor, having a double mastectomy in 2005 followed by chemotherapy.

Survivors include her husband of 44 1/2 years, Mike Roosa of Rock Springs; her daughter, Amber Garcia (Justin) of Broken Arrow, OK; her son, Andy, of Rock Springs; her brother Pat Brangham (Verion) of Green River; her sister Toni Brangham of Casper; her brothers-in-law: Erek Roosa (Linda) of Sheridan and Derek Roosa (Brenda) of Green River, plus several nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

She is preceded in death by her great-grandparents; grandparents; her parents: Harold Leslie (Red) Brangham and Veda Fern (Pierce) Brangham Parson; one brother: Tom Brangham; her sister-in-law: Carroll Brangham; two nephews: Todd Brangham and Tommy Brangham; her father-in-law: James Andrew Roosa and her mother-in-law: Nettie Faith Roosa.

It is impossible to fully encompass who Jill was and how we feel about her in a short recap of significant dates and events in her life. Nor is it possible to describe the depths of the way too early, profound loss she leaves behind. She was everybody's favorite, everybody's best friend and the most significant thing in our lives.

The family respectfully requests donations be made in her memory to to Wyoming Chapter of Alzheimer's Association, 2232 Del Range Boulevard, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82009 or Cowboys Against Cancer, 1893 Dewar Drive, Rock Springs, Wyoming 82901.

Cremation will take place: a Celebration of Life may be scheduled at a later time.

Condolences may be left at http://www.vasefuneralhomes.com.