••• Harriett Middlebrooks Roswurm ….
•••
Harriett Middlebrooks Roswurm 1928–2021 Harriett Roswurm left this life on Feb. 2 to join her father, mother and brother in heaven.
She was the daughter of Charles J. Middlebrooks and Emma Louise Harrison and was born Aug. 22, 1928, in Macon, Georgia, where she lived until completing her first year at Wesleyan College. In 1947, she and her widowed mother moved to California to join her brother Jack, who had settled there at the end of World War II.
Almost immediately, she met Don Roswurm, a friend of her brother, and enrolled at Pepperdine College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree. Upon graduation, she worked at the Long Beach Naval Ship Yard for three years. Throughout this period, she enjoyed a four-year courtship with Don that culminated in marriage in 1951, a happy marriage lasting the 69 years until her death. They moved into a new home a year after their marriage and soon began their family. Donna was born in 1953 and Linda in 1956. Harriett became seriously involved in motherhood activities such as reading to them, walking them to school, going to school functions, making clothes for them, sponsoring youth activities at church, and seeing them grow into beautiful young people. Harriett also made opportunity for adult activities such as square dancing, potluck groups, church parties, spending time with friends in the mountains, in addition to being involved in church leadership and being the vice president of the church board. Church activities were a priority for her with her family.
As the girls moved into adulthood, Harriett enjoyed expanded travel and life activities, such as taking up golf to be able to enjoy getaways at wonderful golf resorts, sometimes finishing golf in the rain; trips throughout the U.S.; traveling to Mexico, Israel and Europe; experiences getting into and out of 1978 Russia; Heli-Hiking in the Canadian Rockies; and embarking on a five-day backpacking trip one August, only to be snowed out at 8,000 feet on the second night when snow collapsed the small tent in her face.
After 38 years in their Long Beach home, they moved to Leisure World in 1989. Simultaneously, they purchased a golf course condo in Palm Desert, used as a part-time get-away for 15 years. Harriett enjoyed the quiet solitude there as well as the opportunity to share it for sleepovers with friends. Throughout her time on Earth, Harriett enjoyed a happy life. She leaves behind husband Don; daughters, Donna (husband Steve) and Linda; and many friends at LW and Grace Community Church in Seal Beach.
