September 2012
Rosalie Pindell, F105443, an ardent supporter of FMCA and the motorhome lifestyle, passed away July 16 at Davis Hospice Center in Cheyenne, Wyoming, surrounded by her three children. Rosalie, wife of the late Duane Pindell, former FMCA national vice president, Rocky Mountain Area, was 78.
“We believe that FMCA, motorhoming, and the RV lifestyle have added tremendous excitement to our retirement years. We are so glad to be involved,” the Pindells once wrote in a testimonial of their association membership.
Rosalie and Duane joined FMCA in July 1988 and were active at the national, area, and chapter levels. Rosalie served on FMCA’s Member Recruitment Committee from 2003 to 2006. Duane was on the team that established the Rocky Mountain Motorhome Association (RMMA) in 2001 and served as area vice president from 2003 to 2007. The Pindells volunteered at numerous FMCA international conventions and Rocky Mountain Area rallies. They were charter members of the High Plains Drifters and Cowboy Ambassadors chapters and belonged to eight other FMCA chapters over the years. The couple also managed the FMCA membership booth at the Quartzsite Sports, Vacation & RV Show in Quartzsite, Arizona, for four years.
In addition to her FMCA interests, Rosalie belonged to the First United Methodist Church, United Methodist Women’s Auxiliary, Daughters of the American Revolution, Daughters of the Union Veterans of the Civil War, Colonial Dames, the Red Dale Travel Club, and several other volunteer and travel organizations. She also was a longtime employee of the Internal Revenue Service.
Rosalie was born June 22, 1934, in Sumner, Nebraska. She and Duane were married in October 1954 following his return from Korea, where he served in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict. They raised their children in Cheyenne.
“We remember Mom as a loving wife who enjoyed meeting people, and who was always supportive and loyal for her friends,” said son Craig Pindell.
The Pindells acquired their first RV, a 14-foot Eagle trailer, in 1973; next came a 22-foot Terry trailer. Their first motorhome was a Type C Coachmen Leprechaun, purchased in 1978. This was followed by a trio of Type A motorhomes: a Champion, a Holiday Rambler, and a Winnebago.
But before they ventured into RV ownership, Duane and Rosalie rented an 8-foot slide-in camper for their pickup truck and took the children to a family reunion in Utah. “That was the first family RV trip, and I am surprised that it wasn’t the last,” Craig remembered. “Even though a lot of things went wrong, Mom and Dad purchased the Eagle not long after, and from then on the RV was the center of operations at the lake in the summertime.”
When the Pindells retired in January 1996, they wasted no time heading south in their motorhome. They also would take extended trips with their RVing friends, such as to Branson, Missouri, or to New Hampshire to visit their daughter. The grandchildren often traveled with them, too, including motorhome trips to FMCA international conventions. “At Mom and Dad’s funerals, the grandkids knew more of the RV people than any of us did,” Craig said.
“FMCA was a huge part of their later life, and judging from the cards and the people that attended their funerals, they impacted quite a few people in FMCA as well,” Craig added. “Their involvement with FMCA kept them active and engaged, and their lives had purpose. We know they enjoyed their membership to the very end.”
Rosalie was preceded in death by her husband, Duane, in May 2009. She is survived by two sons, one daughter, four grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, one brother, and one sister. Memorial donations may be made to the First United Methodist Church Memorial Fund (108 E. 18th St., Cheyenne WY 82001) or to the Davis Hospice Center (6000 Sycamore Road, Cheyenne, WY 82009).