Rosetta M. Schaffner (Clarke), 75, of Miami Township, passed away at Kettering Hospital on Friday, May 13, 2022 after a short illness. She was born on October 18, 1946, in Fort Myers, Florida.
Rosetta was preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Ruth Clarke (Bristol) of Pittston, Pa.
She leaves a legacy of 7 siblings, 7 children, 20 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Siblings include Linda & Harry Bauman (Pittston, PA), Peggy & Barry Palmer (Hunlock Creek, PA), Pete & Karen Clarke (Tumwater, WA), Ruth Anne Curran (Tunkhannock, PA), Fawn & Jack Wozniack (New Lebanon, OH), Lolly & Vinny Vinshinski (Myrtle Beach, SC), Rachel & Shawn Besancon (Kittyhawk, NC). Her beloved children are Rebecca Fleharty (Dayton, OH), Matthew & Cindy Schaffner (West Carrollton, OH), Sarah Schaffner (West Carrollton, OH), Danielle & Bobby Shirey (Canal Winchester, OH), Jaislinn & Kyle Kittel (Eaton, OH), William & Kelly Schaffner (North Port, FL), and Sondra & David Ditman (Chesapeake, VA). The lights of her life were her grandchildren, Jessica (Jamye), Jake, Robert, Michael (Maggie), Daniel, Rebecca, Spencer, Kieran (Allison), Henry, Kristin, Kassidy, Lacie, Bobby, Steven ,Will, Scarlet, Adam, Nicole (James), Emma, and Lily. Her great-grandchildren are Alexys, Caleb, Landon, Savannah. Wyatt, Michael Jr., Ethan, Archer, James, Tucker, Tanner, and Kayleen. As well as many nieces and nephews. Rosetta was extremely proud of all her offspring. Rosetta is also survived by her husband of 46 years, Henry (Hank). They married on Valentine's Day in 1976 (which she chose so he wouldn't forget the date). Together they loved to travel. From their motorcycle honeymoon through the Northeast part of the USA and Canada, to their full transit of the Panama Canal, and several trips to all parts of Europe. They also toured the Mediterranean on the inaugural voyage of the Sky Princess and made several trips to Hawaii and Alaska. Rosetta's untimely death caused the cancellation of their next planned adventure to South America and
Antarctica. Beside traveling, Rosetta created many unique wedding and specialty cakes to help other people to celebrate their special day. She was also a dedicated Jeopardy fan and GSN follower. Family knew not to call when Jeopardy was on, but never fear she was always recording it.
Rosetta was a longtime member of Memorial United Methodist Church in West Carrollton in the Miami Valley District. She was very active in Women and Children issues. Many women have worked personally with Rosetta in United Women in Faith and know her as a friend because of her leadership in the organization over the years. She served in many roles on the district team including President. She also held offices on the conference and North Central Jurisdiction teams. Rosetta is well known for her work with Mission u, where she served in many capacities over the years including Dean.
Rosetta was an avid puzzler and created many puzzles as teaching aids for the classes she taught. She also crocheted and knitted, many of her own designs, especially before the holidays. Many of her friends and family have a Rosetta creation. Rosetta was a very dedicated Girl Scout leader for many years. She touched many lives of the young women who were in her troop. After she retired from Girl Scouts, she continued to gather monthly with the friends she made in the organization. They called their group the "Former Girl Scout Leaders"
because they didn't like the sound of "Old Girl Scout Leaders". She cherished her monthly dinner meetings with these ladies.
One of Rosetta's most loved passions was the Dayton International Festival, Inc. (DIFI). This is the organization which has sponsored the "A World A'Fair" on the third weekend in May for the last 47 years. She believed in sharing cultures from around the world through food, music, and dance. She served in numerous roles at DIFI including being President for many years. The AWAF was again canceled this year due to the remnants of Covid. Ironically, Rosetta will be laid to rest on that third weekend in May.
Rosetta's service will be livestreamed at the scheduled service time.
Click here to view the service.
Services will be held on Saturday, May 21st at Newcomer Funeral Chapel, 3940 Kettering Blvd, Kettering, OH 45439. Visitation will be 9am - 11am, and the service will begin at 11am. Please keep her family in your prayers. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent in her name to
Memorial United Methodist Church, Food Pantry, 26 North Locust St., West Carrollton, OH 45449 or at
Click Here to donate
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