Mrs. Rosemary Celeste Walraven, age 62, of Fernandina passed away on Wednesday, October 19, 2016 at Palm Bay Regional Hospital in Palm Bay, FL.

Born in Fernandina on Christmas Day in 1953, she was one of fourteen children born to the late Freddie Leroy and Mary Agnes Roberts Sanders. Rosemary grew up in Fernandina where she attended Peck and Fernandina Beach High School. She was a Majorette at Peck as well as at Fernandina Beach High School, where she was a member of the graduating Class of 1971. As a teenager growing up in coastal northeast Florida, she spent a great deal of time with her family that lived on Cumberland Island working for the Carnegie and Ferguson families as well as working at the Amelia Island Plantation. In addition to her life in and around the salt marshes of Fernandina Beach, Rosemary also spent time with family in Jacksonville.

On January 8, 1981 she married Douglas Walraven. They relocated to Miami in 1984 where they raised their two children, Nadia and Fredrick. After moving to South Florida, Mrs. Walraven worked at Sears Roebuck Company and attended Miami Technical Institute where she studied Computer Science. The Walraven family later moved to Palm Bay where she worked for the Census Bureau. In 1989 she joined the St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections Office where she remained until retiring this year as the Deputy Clerk.
Rosemary was an avid Florida State Seminoles fan and enjoyed sewing, sharing her crochet skills and family gatherings and reunions back home in Fernandina Beach. Somewhere along her travels she acquired a much sought after recipe for Seafood Gumbo and Tartar Sauce that she treated the Melbourne Police Department at their annual Christmas Parties.

As a child, she and her family attended St. Michael Catholic Church. Since moving to Palm Bay, she and Mr. Walraven have been members at the Calvary Chapel.

She leaves behind, her husband of 35 years, Douglas Walraven, their daughter, Nadia Walraven, their son, Fredrick Douglas Walraven, all of Palm Bay, FL, her siblings, Barbara Glover and her husband, Earley, Titusville, FL, Grace Way and her husband, James, Fernandina Beach, FL, Pearl Sanders, Fernandina Beach, FL, Pamela Sanders and her husband, Thomas, Palatka, FL, Thomas Sanders amd his wife, Sandra, Fernandina Beach, FL, Oscar Sanders, Fort Lauderdale, FL and Johnny Cotman, Ocala, FL; her grandchildren, Merissa Celeste Campbell, Mekayla Celeste Campbell, Frederick Douglas Walraven, Sedrick Walraven, Xavier Walraven, Trinity Walraven, Joseph Walraven, Azalea Walraven, Jordan Douglas Walraven, Messiah Walraven and a host of nieces and nephews.

The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 am on Friday, November 4, 2016 at St. Michael Catholic Church with the Reverend Father Jose Kallukalam, Celebrant.

Mrs. Walraven will be laid to rest in Bosque Bello Cemetery.

The repast will follow at St. Michael�s Parish Hall.

Her family will receive friends on Thursday from 5:00 � 8:00 pm in the Burgess Chapel of Oxley Heard where the Vigil service will be held at 6:00 pm with Deacon Art Treadwell, officiating.