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Lois Rosania: A Life that Counts By KAREN SCANLON, Coronado Historical Association Volunteer All photos courtesy of the Rosania Family.
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oronado villager Lois Rosania is celebrating her 100th year. A delightfully enthusiastic lady who has made the island her home three times since the 1940s, Lois was born and grew up on a farm in Mankato, Minnesota. “I wasn’t a very good farmer,” she admits, “but it was a wonderful life. My grandmother lived with us, and it was a happy time with lots of relatives.” On the farm roamed horses, mules, cattle, and pigs. “I was a member of the 4-H Club (a national mentorship program for kids), and my brother and I raised calves and showed them at the county fair.” It was a cozy way of life in Mankato for this farm girl, “I even attended Mankato College,” Lois says, “and after graduation taught third grade in Mankato. It was the only place I’d ever been until I visited a college friend in Evanston.” But Lois’ world was about to expand when a recruiter visited her hometown, noting that the State of California was short on teachers. “My girlfriend and I followed this lead all the way to San Bernardino and on to San Diego. This was in the 1940s.”
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