Rose Anna (Houlihan) Burnison, 97, of Sioux Falls, passed away at her home on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022.

Visitation was on Sunday, Jan. 9, at Barnett-Lewis Funeral Home in Sioux Falls, followed by a prayer service and Rosary.  Mass of Christian Burial was held on Monday, Jan. 10, at St. Michael Catholic Church, Sioux Falls. Interment was at St. Michael Cemetery.

Rose Anna was the sixth of nine children born to Nora Gertrude (Coughlin) and Michael Marcus Houlihan on a farm near Lane on April 13, 1924. Rose Anna was 100 percent Irish, and proud to be so. 

In childhood, she attended country school. She loved to spend time with Pa and would help her younger brothers herd cattle. Rose’s stories offered glimpses of a time when Pa would accompany the Houlihan girls to the dance hall at Ruskin Park near Forestburg and sit in the car to assure their safe return home. She attended Lane High School, Notre Dame Teacher’s College of Mitchell and Huron College. Rose was an educator for 33 years.

In 1948, she met Kenneth LeRoy Burnison on a blind date. They dated until Rose knew he could laugh at all her jokes, and were married Aug. 9, 1952, at St. Wilfrid Church in Woonsocket.

Rose’s residence was a revolving door for visitors joining her for a meal, sneaking cookies from the freezer, or just coming for a chat. Rose told and re-told stories to her eight children, 26 grandchildren, and 29 great-grandchildren. Rose celebrated her 97th birthday this past April with her kids and grandkids after a year of video calls and distanced encounters. 

Rose is survived by one brother, Leo Houlihan, and her children, Teresa (Don) Ondrak, Kevin (Joyce) Burnison, Tim (Jacque) Burnison, Joseph (JoLynn) Burnison, Doreen Burnison, Barbara (Monte) Glanzer, Carolyn (Mark) Steinborn, and Diane (Shawn) Smith.

She was preceded in death by parents, Gertrude and Michael; siblings, Joseph Houlihan, Marie Sveningson, Gertrude Sauter, Ellen Pegg, Bernice Baber, Michael Houlihan and Patrick Houlihan; husband, LeRoy Burnison; grandchildren, Hannah Burnison and Leyton Burnison; and son-in-law, Mark Steinborn.