Rosemary Katherine Basler Hooks dies

Published: August 20, 2021

By Beth Lewis

Rosemary Katherine Basler Hooks

Rosemary Katherine Basler Hooks, 95, passed away on July 29, 2021.

Born May 2, 1926, in Morrilton, to Frank JosephBasler and Rosa Agnes Yanker Basler, she graduated from Sacred Heart HighSchool in 1943. After working at First State Bank as a bookkeeper, on May 9, 1950, she married Edward D. Hooks of Slovak, Arkansas, who preceded her in death in 2001. She was a parishioner of Sts. Cyril and Methodius CatholicChurch for 71 years and a pillar of the community. She is survived by her brother, Ben Basler of Wisconsin, seven children, 11 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Children include Dan (Paula) Hooks, Hazen, Beth Lewis, Hot Springs.; Sr. Susan Hooks, OSB Monastery Immaculate Conception, Ferdinand, Indiana; Edward Hooks, Pea Ridge, Paul (Carol)Hooks, Stuttgart, Janet (Bruce) McDaniel, Broken Arrow, Okla., Sarah Berryman, Pea Ridge.

Strong in her Catholic faith, Rosemary had a special devotion to Mary and always kept a rosary handy. With a willing spirit, busy hands, and a giving heart, she loved her family and full house at family gatherings. She had a green thumb and loved flowers, her garden and sharing plants. She also loved music, baking bread and trying new recipes as she fed the multitudes. She loved to travel and never met a stranger as she could “talk to a fence post”.

Sister Paschaline, OND, her high school teacher describes Rosemary in the 1943 Sacred Heart yearbook, “She has a natural wise sincerity”. An avid reader and letter writer, she had a remarkable memory and loved telling stories. Into her 90’s, she sang songs from childhood, recalled names and recited poems from her school days. Raised during the great depression, her thriftiness and “can-do” spirit were evident in one of her many adages, “Waste not, want not.”

Rosemary served in the parish altar Society as president, the Catholic Youth Organization and Parish Council. She was a 4-H group leader and a member of the Prairie County Extension Homemakers Club. A volunteer for the Hazen Library, she was on the Library board in 1965 that spearheaded a 1%tax for the Prairie County library that passed. In the 1970’s she was a docent at the Grand Prairie Agricultural Museum, Stuttgart, Ar.

She treasured her Morrilton family and friends, enjoyed family reunions on Petit Jean Mountain and was the “go-to” for family ties and memories. Sharp-witted, she held her own in conversations with intellectuals to children from all walks of life, often with humor and wise sayings from her own parents.

The visitation was Sunday, August 1, 2021, at 6:00 p.m.followed by a rosary at 7:00 p.m. at Sts. Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church. The funeral Mass was officiated by Rev. Shaun Wesley on Monday at 10:30 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Sts. Cyril and MethodiusCatholic Church, Holy Rosary School in Stuttgart or Sacred Heart School in Morrilton.

Arrangements are by Westbrook Funeral Home of Hazen.