Our Matriarch Rosa

Tucked away in a northside neighborhood just blocks from downtown Sedalia, Mo., lives 94-year-old matriarch Rosa Gravitt. With many of her seven children living nearby, Rosa lives in the home she has occupied for decades. Her family and friends care for her by preparing home cooked meals, maintaining her yard, and keeping up on general maintenance on the property so she can continue to live there in her final years. 

When Rosa’s long time friend and sister-in-law, Margaret Cochran, moved in to help care for her it was further proof that the small village around Rosa is rallying behind one goal - to prevent her from moving into an assisted living center. They want to give her the opportunity to live the rest of her life in the home she has always known. 

“Assisted living facilities are not bad,” said Norma Poindexter, Rosa’s daughter. “They prove to be useful for complications someone may have, but in terms of everyday care, having your family there is the best care you can have.” 

To see that goal fulfilled, the Gravitt family has built a community of care, compassion and comfort around Rosa, returning the love she spent her life showing her children.