Rose Coulter Wisner was born August 17, 1963, in Seattle, Washington and died November 9, 2012, at Evergreen Hospice in Kirkland, Washington. Wife and mother of three, she was a dedicated volunteer at St. Madeleine Sophie Catholic School in Bellevue, St. Monica Parish School on Mercer Island, and a stalwart rider and fundraiser for the Northwest JDRF Ride-to-Cure Diabetes team.
She grew up the third of four children in Montesano, Washington, graduated Cum Laude from the WSU Edward R. Murrow College of Communications in Pullman in 1985, and worked as a writer and producer for KIRO TV for eleven years. Rose fought brain cancer with characteristic tenacity, faith, humor and grit – contributing numerous hours at the University of Washington as part of an imaging study to advance brain cancer treatment. In September 2012, despite complete paralysis of her right arm and leg and growing impact on her ability to speak, Rose completed 12 miles of the Lake Tahoe JDRF Ride in a specially adapted recumbent tandem bike. A few weeks later, she entered hospice. She died at the age of 49.