Roger Rossebo, age 78, died Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, on the farm where he grew up outside Pullman. Roger was born April 14, 1946, to Helmer and Stella Rossebo and worked on the family farm raising wheat, peas, lentils and barley. He also worked at the Washington State University CUB and alongside his mother at the Kappa Delta sorority. Roger, a business graduate of WSU, served honorably in the U.S. Army in Vietnam.
Near the farmhouse in which Roger was raised, stood the Rossebos’ first house, a log cabin built in 1883 by Swedish immigrant Pete Hendrickson. As a boy, Roger’s imagination was captured by that humble log cabin and what life would have been like for people who settled the West. A voracious reader and an avid amateur historian, Roger was deeply interested in the people of the Pioneer era — how they lived and worked, their tools and household objects, the items they brought with them and the objects they made. He shared his vast knowledge with his community in many ways, including his long involvement with the Whitman County Historical Society and through friendships made attending innumerable antique auctions.
Most substantial was Roger’s dedication to his life’s work of creating and expanding the Three Forks Pioneer Village Museum. The museum originated in the Swedish log cabin, carefully restored by Roger and filled with a growing collection of artifacts and antiques. Roger often spoke of his purpose: he wanted to preserve and display the tangible objects of our heritage in an interesting historical setting to promote an appreciation of history. Thanks to the many generous people who contributed to the museum, the collection grew steadily and was host to countless schoolchildren who visited the museum over the years. The museum closed in the early 1980s but his legacy lives on through the distribution of the museum contents to the Whitman County Historical Society and other historical organizations and collectors.
In his last years, Roger enjoyed the good company and conversation of other seniors at the Pullman Senior Center. There, he was able to connect with friends and enjoy a good meal.
Roger was preceded in death by his parents and sister Marlene Harmon (“Boots”), of Reno, Nev. He is survived by his nieces Adrien Fischer (Tim), of Reno, and Hilary Ryall (Mike), of Coral Springs, Fla.
The funeral for Roger Rossebo will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 3, at Corbeill Funeral Home, 905 S. Grand Ave., in Pullman. A reception will follow at noon at the Pullman Senior Center and burial will follow at 2 p.m. at the Moscow Cemetery. Online condolences may be sent to corbeillfuneralhomes.com.
The family asks that memorials be made to Care to Share at Pullman Parks and Recreation, 190 SE Crestview St. Building B, Pullman, WA 99163.
