Shirley Tankersley Ricketts Rosebro

Shirley Tankersley Ricketts Rosebro  passed away on August 23, 2021, at the age of 97.  She was born June 7, 1924 to Allie R. and Claude N. Tankersley.  In addition to her parents, Shirley was predeceased by her first husband of 56 years, John Milton Ricketts, Jr., and all ten of her siblings.  She is survived by her second husband, Robert N. Rosebro, Jr., two nieces that thought of her as a their second mom; Allie H. Fitchett and Shirley H. Hayes as well as numerous other nieces and nephews.

Shirley ‘s career began in 1941 when she graduated from Virginia Commercial Business College on Friday and went to work the following Monday at Sears & Roebuck, where she worked for 25 years.  In 1966 she and Milton moved to Maryland where he managed a horse farm, and she worked in the accounting office for the farm.

While in Maryland, she served as board chair for the Barnesville School.  She continued to volunteer at the school even after she retired.  She and her first husband were founding members of the Sugarloaf Riding Club, and Shirley served as secretary at many Blue Ridge Arabian Horse shows. She also raised and showed Dachshunds. Her other interests included knitting, reading, jigsaw puzzles and playing the piano.  She will be remembered for many things – hosting huge family Thanksgiving dinners, an annual Christmas sing-along, a children’s sing-along for all the neighborhood kids and her baking skills.  Among her baking specialties were cakes (birthday, pound and hermit), yeast rolls and baking powder biscuits.

She moved back to her hometown of Lynchburg in 2006, where she lived at Westminster Canterbury until her passing.  There she found love again when she met and married Robert Rosebro (Bob) in 2013.

We would like to thank her caregivers at Westminster Canterbury Lynchburg and the staff of Senior Independence Hospice for their thoughtfulness and care during this time.

For those wishing to make memorials, please consider either The Barnesville School Fund, 21830 Peach Tree Rd., P. O. Box 404 Barnesville, MD 20838 or Westminster Canterbury Lynchburg Foundation, 501 V E S Rd., Lynchburg, VA 24503

A private graveside service will be held in the near future.

Tharp Funeral Home, Lynchburg is assisting the family.