As the holidays are here, many people are preparing to spend time with relatives. Although there may be quarreling among families, these gatherings are generally pleasant times.
For sophomore Jeff Roseth, his latest family gathering was not for the holidays. On Dec. 6, a memorial took place for Jeff’s father, Steve Roseth, in the G. L. Johnson Chapel of Peoples Church.
Because the memorial was on campus, students had the opportunity to attend. As the students sat together, many dressed for the service out of respect and in support of their fellow student.
“The service was very powerful,” Tyler Haritzalde, ’11, said. “It was good to see how his life impacted others. It was more of a celebration of his life rather than a passing of his death. Instead of focusing on how he is going to be missed, they focused on what he has given in his life.”
As students entered the chapel, piano music was played and a slideshow of Steve was projected on a screen. Friends of Jeff and those associated with the school mainly sat on the left side of the chapel, while his family and close friends sat on the right side.
Jeff Hopper, Jeff’s golf coach and father of junior Josh, was the officiator for the service. Through his time as Jeff’s coach, Hopper was able to get to know the Roseth family.
“With most services, it is important to see what impact the person has had in his life,” Hopper said. “Both people who spoke during the service, his former employee and his sister in-law, talked about the influence he had on their lives.”
During the service, two musical pieces were performed. The first was a piano piece played by Jeff’s cousin, Krinsten Joe, followed by one of the two speakers. As the celebration of life continued, ’10 alumnus Nacoya Villegas and her mother, Regina Teter, sang “For Good” from the Broadway production, Wicked.
At such a critical point in life, Jeff’s feelings about the service remained positive.
“Nobody likes these kinds of services, and obviously I was really sad at the time,” Jeff said. “Besides me being sad, I felt like this wasn’t your regular service. It was not like all the other gloomy services that you see; instead, it was a celebration.”
Jeff knew that his father would not have wanted this memorial to be a black-clad, gloomy funeral, but rather a celebration of the life that he lived.
Through all of the tears and mourning, the service was a celebration. The memorial made it clear that, to those in attendance, Steve was a great man who lived a great life, and many will miss him.
For more stories of students who have suffered loss, read the Nov. 5 article, Dealing with death: The Singh family story.
