Rosa E. Altergott, 102, former teacher and homemaker, died Monday, March 15, 2010, at Clarkston Care Center.
She was born Aug. 19, 1907, in Sparta, N.C., to William C. and Blevins Marcella M. (Brown) Blevins.
The family moved from North Carolina to a homestead on Myer's Ridge near Anatone in 1910. Rosa attended Pine Grove School near Anatone through the eighth grade.
In 1920, they moved to Jerry on Asotin Creek. She attended Asotin High School, graduating in 1925.
Following graduation, Rosa enrolled in Cheney Normal School, now known as Eastern Washington University. In 1930, she received a lifetime teaching certificate. In the next years, she taught in several schools in Douglas, Asotin, and Whitman counties, most of them rural schools.
On Nov. 11, 1933, she married Herbert J. Altergott of Colfax, Wash. They bought a farm in 1940 near Palouse and farmed until 1969 when they retired due to Herbert's ill health.
In 1983, they moved to Clarkston. Herbert passed away on Nov. 8, 1992.
Rosa was a member of North and South Palouse Grange at Colfax, the Easter Rebekah Lodge, the Sunshine and Xenodican Ladies Clubs in Palouse, and was an active member of the Palouse Christian Church. In 1995, she joined the United Methodist Church of Clarkston.
Rosa loved nature and took summer extension short courses in 1978 and 1979 on wild plants and flower identification at Washington State University. Other interests included gardening and all kinds of crafts.
Survivors include a brother, Lawrence Blevins of Clarkston, and a foster daughter-in-law, Anna Davis of Post Falls, Idaho.
She was preceded in death by a foster son, Robert E. Lee; five brothers, Carl, Glenn, Paul, Donald, and Delbert Blevins; and three sisters, Lucy Blevins, Lessie Limburg, and Victoria Enos.
Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society or the American Heart Association.
Lewiston Tribune March 18, 2010
===
Former teacher marks her 100th year
Time has vanquished most of Rosa Altergott's memories. Still, stories are remembered by people she helped in the last century.
Altergott celebrates her 100th birthday at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Evergreen Estates in Clarkston. The party is open to the public.
Present will be her 63-year-old nephew David Blevins of Monarch, Mont. - one of the few people left who knew Altergott well in her younger years.
Altergott was not "devout," but she was a staunch Christian, Blevins said. He worked and lived on her farm near Palouse for several summers growing up and got a firsthand sampling of her ethics. He said he still has a mastery of the art of eating politely, due to Altergott's chiding 50 years ago.
"I adhere to almost every one of them (table manner rules), especially when I'm around her. There are some things I don't think she'll ever forget," he said with a laugh. Blevins is her guardian today.
Altergott was born Aug. 19, 1907, in Sparta, N.C. She grew up near Anatone and later moved to Jerry, near Asotin Creek. She went to college at Cheney Normal School, now Eastern Washington University, and graduated in 1930.
She then spent time teaching in one-room country schoolhouses around Washington, Blevins said. Her marriage to her husband, Herbert J. Altergott, was kept secret for the first year because school teachers at the time weren't allowed to be married.
During his summers at her farm, Blevins remembers her picking up beer and soda bottles along the road in exchange for money. Enduring the Great Depression impressed the frugal living habits of Altergott.
Blevins said she hid the beer bottles from him as part of her Christian beliefs. One time, he found a bottle of ginger ale while helping her sort the bottles. She insisted it hadn't been in her house - the word "ale" would have made the bottle taboo.
"That's kind of typical Aunt Rosa," Blevins said. "It was either black or white in a lot of cases and if it said ale, then it was an alcoholic beverage."
Seventy years later, Altergott still has a following of students. Nineteen of them held a party for her Friday.
One of her students, 78-year-old Phyllis Skeens of Issaquah, Wash., had Altergott as a teacher in the mid-1930s.
"She played basketball with us at recess so I wouldn't feel like I was the only girl left out," Skeens said.
Eden Valley School where Altergott taught for years sat between Palouse and Colfax. Skeens said she finally came out of her shell as a child because of Altergott's patient teaching there.
"I was very bashful and shy. If it hadn't been for her, I don't believe I would have been able to make my way in life as well as I have," Skeens said. "She made a person feel very worthwhile."
Eight of Altergott's nine siblings have died. Her remaining brother, 90-year-old Lawrence Blevins, resides at Evergreen Estates.
"He's all I have. He's just a good brother. He looks after me," Altergott said, sitting in her room at Clarkston Care Center.
Altergott has some "health issues," David Blevins said, but she still gets around quite nicely on her walker. Her memory only started to fade about a year and a half ago.
Altergott and her husband never had any children. They did raise a foster son, Robert Lee, for several years. He has since died. Her husband died in 1992.
Blevins said he still goes to church regularly because of Altergott. He encourages his children to go as well. And, he said, he still tries to teach them the finer points of polite dining.
When asked how she felt about turning 100, Altergott paused, then said, "I hadn't even thought about it. I am. I am. That's all."
By Jeslyn Lemke Of the Tribune Aug 18, 2007
She was born Aug. 19, 1907, in Sparta, N.C., to William C. and Blevins Marcella M. (Brown) Blevins.
The family moved from North Carolina to a homestead on Myer's Ridge near Anatone in 1910. Rosa attended Pine Grove School near Anatone through the eighth grade.
In 1920, they moved to Jerry on Asotin Creek. She attended Asotin High School, graduating in 1925.
Following graduation, Rosa enrolled in Cheney Normal School, now known as Eastern Washington University. In 1930, she received a lifetime teaching certificate. In the next years, she taught in several schools in Douglas, Asotin, and Whitman counties, most of them rural schools.
On Nov. 11, 1933, she married Herbert J. Altergott of Colfax, Wash. They bought a farm in 1940 near Palouse and farmed until 1969 when they retired due to Herbert's ill health.
In 1983, they moved to Clarkston. Herbert passed away on Nov. 8, 1992.
Rosa was a member of North and South Palouse Grange at Colfax, the Easter Rebekah Lodge, the Sunshine and Xenodican Ladies Clubs in Palouse, and was an active member of the Palouse Christian Church. In 1995, she joined the United Methodist Church of Clarkston.
Rosa loved nature and took summer extension short courses in 1978 and 1979 on wild plants and flower identification at Washington State University. Other interests included gardening and all kinds of crafts.
Survivors include a brother, Lawrence Blevins of Clarkston, and a foster daughter-in-law, Anna Davis of Post Falls, Idaho.
She was preceded in death by a foster son, Robert E. Lee; five brothers, Carl, Glenn, Paul, Donald, and Delbert Blevins; and three sisters, Lucy Blevins, Lessie Limburg, and Victoria Enos.
Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society or the American Heart Association.
Lewiston Tribune March 18, 2010
===
Former teacher marks her 100th year
Time has vanquished most of Rosa Altergott's memories. Still, stories are remembered by people she helped in the last century.
Altergott celebrates her 100th birthday at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Evergreen Estates in Clarkston. The party is open to the public.
Present will be her 63-year-old nephew David Blevins of Monarch, Mont. - one of the few people left who knew Altergott well in her younger years.
Altergott was not "devout," but she was a staunch Christian, Blevins said. He worked and lived on her farm near Palouse for several summers growing up and got a firsthand sampling of her ethics. He said he still has a mastery of the art of eating politely, due to Altergott's chiding 50 years ago.
"I adhere to almost every one of them (table manner rules), especially when I'm around her. There are some things I don't think she'll ever forget," he said with a laugh. Blevins is her guardian today.
Altergott was born Aug. 19, 1907, in Sparta, N.C. She grew up near Anatone and later moved to Jerry, near Asotin Creek. She went to college at Cheney Normal School, now Eastern Washington University, and graduated in 1930.
She then spent time teaching in one-room country schoolhouses around Washington, Blevins said. Her marriage to her husband, Herbert J. Altergott, was kept secret for the first year because school teachers at the time weren't allowed to be married.
During his summers at her farm, Blevins remembers her picking up beer and soda bottles along the road in exchange for money. Enduring the Great Depression impressed the frugal living habits of Altergott.
Blevins said she hid the beer bottles from him as part of her Christian beliefs. One time, he found a bottle of ginger ale while helping her sort the bottles. She insisted it hadn't been in her house - the word "ale" would have made the bottle taboo.
"That's kind of typical Aunt Rosa," Blevins said. "It was either black or white in a lot of cases and if it said ale, then it was an alcoholic beverage."
Seventy years later, Altergott still has a following of students. Nineteen of them held a party for her Friday.
One of her students, 78-year-old Phyllis Skeens of Issaquah, Wash., had Altergott as a teacher in the mid-1930s.
"She played basketball with us at recess so I wouldn't feel like I was the only girl left out," Skeens said.
Eden Valley School where Altergott taught for years sat between Palouse and Colfax. Skeens said she finally came out of her shell as a child because of Altergott's patient teaching there.
"I was very bashful and shy. If it hadn't been for her, I don't believe I would have been able to make my way in life as well as I have," Skeens said. "She made a person feel very worthwhile."
Eight of Altergott's nine siblings have died. Her remaining brother, 90-year-old Lawrence Blevins, resides at Evergreen Estates.
"He's all I have. He's just a good brother. He looks after me," Altergott said, sitting in her room at Clarkston Care Center.
Altergott has some "health issues," David Blevins said, but she still gets around quite nicely on her walker. Her memory only started to fade about a year and a half ago.
Altergott and her husband never had any children. They did raise a foster son, Robert Lee, for several years. He has since died. Her husband died in 1992.
Blevins said he still goes to church regularly because of Altergott. He encourages his children to go as well. And, he said, he still tries to teach them the finer points of polite dining.
When asked how she felt about turning 100, Altergott paused, then said, "I hadn't even thought about it. I am. I am. That's all."
By Jeslyn Lemke Of the Tribune Aug 18, 2007
Rosa E. Altergott, 102, former teacher and homemaker, died Monday, March 15, 2010, at Clarkston Care Center.
She was born Aug. 19, 1907, in Sparta, N.C., to William C. and Blevins Marcella M. (Brown) Blevins.
The family moved from North Carolina to a homestead on Myer's Ridge near Anatone in 1910. Rosa attended Pine Grove School near Anatone through the eighth grade.
In 1920, they moved to Jerry on Asotin Creek. She attended Asotin High School, graduating in 1925.
Following graduation, Rosa enrolled in Cheney Normal School, now known as Eastern Washington University. In 1930, she received a lifetime teaching certificate. In the next years, she taught in several schools in Douglas, Asotin, and Whitman counties, most of them rural schools.
On Nov. 11, 1933, she married Herbert J. Altergott of Colfax, Wash. They bought a farm in 1940 near Palouse and farmed until 1969 when they retired due to Herbert's ill health.
In 1983, they moved to Clarkston. Herbert passed away on Nov. 8, 1992.
Rosa was a member of North and South Palouse Grange at Colfax, the Easter Rebekah Lodge, the Sunshine and Xenodican Ladies Clubs in Palouse, and was an active member of the Palouse Christian Church. In 1995, she joined the United Methodist Church of Clarkston.
Rosa loved nature and took summer extension short courses in 1978 and 1979 on wild plants and flower identification at Washington State University. Other interests included gardening and all kinds of crafts.
Survivors include a brother, Lawrence Blevins of Clarkston, and a foster daughter-in-law, Anna Davis of Post Falls, Idaho.
She was preceded in death by a foster son, Robert E. Lee; five brothers, Carl, Glenn, Paul, Donald, and Delbert Blevins; and three sisters, Lucy Blevins, Lessie Limburg, and Victoria Enos.
Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society or the American Heart Association.
Lewiston Tribune March 18, 2010
===
Former teacher marks her 100th year
Time has vanquished most of Rosa Altergott's memories. Still, stories are remembered by people she helped in the last century.
Altergott celebrates her 100th birthday at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Evergreen Estates in Clarkston. The party is open to the public.
Present will be her 63-year-old nephew David Blevins of Monarch, Mont. - one of the few people left who knew Altergott well in her younger years.
Altergott was not "devout," but she was a staunch Christian, Blevins said. He worked and lived on her farm near Palouse for several summers growing up and got a firsthand sampling of her ethics. He said he still has a mastery of the art of eating politely, due to Altergott's chiding 50 years ago.
"I adhere to almost every one of them (table manner rules), especially when I'm around her. There are some things I don't think she'll ever forget," he said with a laugh. Blevins is her guardian today.
Altergott was born Aug. 19, 1907, in Sparta, N.C. She grew up near Anatone and later moved to Jerry, near Asotin Creek. She went to college at Cheney Normal School, now Eastern Washington University, and graduated in 1930.
She then spent time teaching in one-room country schoolhouses around Washington, Blevins said. Her marriage to her husband, Herbert J. Altergott, was kept secret for the first year because school teachers at the time weren't allowed to be married.
During his summers at her farm, Blevins remembers her picking up beer and soda bottles along the road in exchange for money. Enduring the Great Depression impressed the frugal living habits of Altergott.
Blevins said she hid the beer bottles from him as part of her Christian beliefs. One time, he found a bottle of ginger ale while helping her sort the bottles. She insisted it hadn't been in her house - the word "ale" would have made the bottle taboo.
"That's kind of typical Aunt Rosa," Blevins said. "It was either black or white in a lot of cases and if it said ale, then it was an alcoholic beverage."
Seventy years later, Altergott still has a following of students. Nineteen of them held a party for her Friday.
One of her students, 78-year-old Phyllis Skeens of Issaquah, Wash., had Altergott as a teacher in the mid-1930s.
"She played basketball with us at recess so I wouldn't feel like I was the only girl left out," Skeens said.
Eden Valley School where Altergott taught for years sat between Palouse and Colfax. Skeens said she finally came out of her shell as a child because of Altergott's patient teaching there.
"I was very bashful and shy. If it hadn't been for her, I don't believe I would have been able to make my way in life as well as I have," Skeens said. "She made a person feel very worthwhile."
Eight of Altergott's nine siblings have died. Her remaining brother, 90-year-old Lawrence Blevins, resides at Evergreen Estates.
"He's all I have. He's just a good brother. He looks after me," Altergott said, sitting in her room at Clarkston Care Center.
Altergott has some "health issues," David Blevins said, but she still gets around quite nicely on her walker. Her memory only started to fade about a year and a half ago.
Altergott and her husband never had any children. They did raise a foster son, Robert Lee, for several years. He has since died. Her husband died in 1992.
Blevins said he still goes to church regularly because of Altergott. He encourages his children to go as well. And, he said, he still tries to teach them the finer points of polite dining.
When asked how she felt about turning 100, Altergott paused, then said, "I hadn't even thought about it. I am. I am. That's all."
By Jeslyn Lemke Of the Tribune Aug 18, 2007
She was born Aug. 19, 1907, in Sparta, N.C., to William C. and Blevins Marcella M. (Brown) Blevins.
The family moved from North Carolina to a homestead on Myer's Ridge near Anatone in 1910. Rosa attended Pine Grove School near Anatone through the eighth grade.
In 1920, they moved to Jerry on Asotin Creek. She attended Asotin High School, graduating in 1925.
Following graduation, Rosa enrolled in Cheney Normal School, now known as Eastern Washington University. In 1930, she received a lifetime teaching certificate. In the next years, she taught in several schools in Douglas, Asotin, and Whitman counties, most of them rural schools.
On Nov. 11, 1933, she married Herbert J. Altergott of Colfax, Wash. They bought a farm in 1940 near Palouse and farmed until 1969 when they retired due to Herbert's ill health.
In 1983, they moved to Clarkston. Herbert passed away on Nov. 8, 1992.
Rosa was a member of North and South Palouse Grange at Colfax, the Easter Rebekah Lodge, the Sunshine and Xenodican Ladies Clubs in Palouse, and was an active member of the Palouse Christian Church. In 1995, she joined the United Methodist Church of Clarkston.
Rosa loved nature and took summer extension short courses in 1978 and 1979 on wild plants and flower identification at Washington State University. Other interests included gardening and all kinds of crafts.
Survivors include a brother, Lawrence Blevins of Clarkston, and a foster daughter-in-law, Anna Davis of Post Falls, Idaho.
She was preceded in death by a foster son, Robert E. Lee; five brothers, Carl, Glenn, Paul, Donald, and Delbert Blevins; and three sisters, Lucy Blevins, Lessie Limburg, and Victoria Enos.
Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society or the American Heart Association.
Lewiston Tribune March 18, 2010
===
Former teacher marks her 100th year
Time has vanquished most of Rosa Altergott's memories. Still, stories are remembered by people she helped in the last century.
Altergott celebrates her 100th birthday at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Evergreen Estates in Clarkston. The party is open to the public.
Present will be her 63-year-old nephew David Blevins of Monarch, Mont. - one of the few people left who knew Altergott well in her younger years.
Altergott was not "devout," but she was a staunch Christian, Blevins said. He worked and lived on her farm near Palouse for several summers growing up and got a firsthand sampling of her ethics. He said he still has a mastery of the art of eating politely, due to Altergott's chiding 50 years ago.
"I adhere to almost every one of them (table manner rules), especially when I'm around her. There are some things I don't think she'll ever forget," he said with a laugh. Blevins is her guardian today.
Altergott was born Aug. 19, 1907, in Sparta, N.C. She grew up near Anatone and later moved to Jerry, near Asotin Creek. She went to college at Cheney Normal School, now Eastern Washington University, and graduated in 1930.
She then spent time teaching in one-room country schoolhouses around Washington, Blevins said. Her marriage to her husband, Herbert J. Altergott, was kept secret for the first year because school teachers at the time weren't allowed to be married.
During his summers at her farm, Blevins remembers her picking up beer and soda bottles along the road in exchange for money. Enduring the Great Depression impressed the frugal living habits of Altergott.
Blevins said she hid the beer bottles from him as part of her Christian beliefs. One time, he found a bottle of ginger ale while helping her sort the bottles. She insisted it hadn't been in her house - the word "ale" would have made the bottle taboo.
"That's kind of typical Aunt Rosa," Blevins said. "It was either black or white in a lot of cases and if it said ale, then it was an alcoholic beverage."
Seventy years later, Altergott still has a following of students. Nineteen of them held a party for her Friday.
One of her students, 78-year-old Phyllis Skeens of Issaquah, Wash., had Altergott as a teacher in the mid-1930s.
"She played basketball with us at recess so I wouldn't feel like I was the only girl left out," Skeens said.
Eden Valley School where Altergott taught for years sat between Palouse and Colfax. Skeens said she finally came out of her shell as a child because of Altergott's patient teaching there.
"I was very bashful and shy. If it hadn't been for her, I don't believe I would have been able to make my way in life as well as I have," Skeens said. "She made a person feel very worthwhile."
Eight of Altergott's nine siblings have died. Her remaining brother, 90-year-old Lawrence Blevins, resides at Evergreen Estates.
"He's all I have. He's just a good brother. He looks after me," Altergott said, sitting in her room at Clarkston Care Center.
Altergott has some "health issues," David Blevins said, but she still gets around quite nicely on her walker. Her memory only started to fade about a year and a half ago.
Altergott and her husband never had any children. They did raise a foster son, Robert Lee, for several years. He has since died. Her husband died in 1992.
Blevins said he still goes to church regularly because of Altergott. He encourages his children to go as well. And, he said, he still tries to teach them the finer points of polite dining.
When asked how she felt about turning 100, Altergott paused, then said, "I hadn't even thought about it. I am. I am. That's all."
By Jeslyn Lemke Of the Tribune Aug 18, 2007
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