Rosali V. 'Lee' (Bronenkant) Meinersmann, 88

DUNWOODY, Ga. - Rosali V. "Lee" (Bronenkant) Meinersmann of Dunwoody died Monday, Dec. 25, 2006, in Dunwoody surrounded by her family. She was 88.

Mrs. Meinersmann was an accomplished self-made woman and independent thinker born in a Polish immigrant neighborhood in Milwaukee.

She discovered a love of reading at an early age and became the first member of her family to graduate from college, Milwaukee Downer.

Mrs. Meinersmann met Herman "Hank" Theodore Meinersmann, who became her husband, while studying for a librarian degree in Seattle.

She and her husband had an adventurous life of frequent moves after her husband became an Air Force officer.

Mrs. Meinersmann worked in various libraries and founded three libraries, one in a public school and one in a medical facility. She was school librarian in Caesar Rodney school district, director of Laurel Public Library, head librarian at Delaware Technical & Community College and director of Maryland Library Material Center, Salisbury, Md.

In her most recent years in Georgia, she taught AARP drivers education, volunteered at the Georgia Botanical Gardens and the Sandy Creek Nature Center in Athens and interviewed World War II veterans for the Veterans History Project.

She was a master gardener, birdwatcher, potter and arts collector. She was always an active participant in life.

Mrs. Meinersmann held volunteer leadership positions in multiple organizations, including Girl Scouts of America, National Mental Health Association, League of Women Voters, Audubon Society, Sussex Arts Council, American Field Service and AA University of Women.

She is survived by a brother, George Bronenkant; five children, Jonna Detweiler, Karen Falk, Tedd Meinersmann, Richard Meinersmann and Mark Meinersmann; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be 11 a.m. Jan. 27 in Central Presbyterian Church, Athens.

Burial will be in Arlington National Cemetery.

The family suggests memorial contributions to the American Heart Association, 1101 Northchase Parkway, Suite 1, Marietta, GA 30067; Sandy Creek Nature Center Inc., 205 Old Commerce Road, Athens, GA 30607; or the National Audubon Society, 700 Broadway, New York, NY 10003.