Roseann Garcia Smith of West St. Paul, MN, has passed away, leaving behind a family and community who loved her dearly.
These few paragraphs cannot hold a life, but they may carry a memory.
Quiet kindness echoes longest.
Smith, Rosie M. (Garcia)
Rosie Garcia Smith passed peacefully in her West St. Paul home with her husband and son by her side on March 17, 2026, at the age of 49 after her five and a half year journey with pancreatic cancer.
Born on December 2, 1976 in Fridley, MN, Rosie spent the majority of her life living in and around the Columbia Heights / Fridley, MN area, where she raised her only son Daniel Garcia and worked for 27 years as a preschool teacher at New Horizon Academy. Ms. Rosie, as her students called her, impacted the lives of hundreds of children and their families in a positive way; giving them a strong foundation in their early lives on which they could build from.
Rosie found the love of her life later in her journey, meeting her husband Rick Smith of West St. Paul, MN on February 25, 2021. During her 20 months of remission, they developed a friendship and love that was evident to everyone in their circle. Putting Christ first, they chose to embark on adventures that typically included waterfalls, beaches, trails, lakes and oceans. On August 20, 2022 Rosie and Rick were married and went on with their adventures around the country, always at each other's side.
November of 2022, they learned that her cancer returned and that she likely would only live another year. After two months of mourning, Rosie and Rick decided to fight this battle head on, by deepening their relationship with Jesus, spending as much time as possible with friends and family, and continuing their adventures together.
Over the next 3 years and 3 months, Rosie chose to spread hope by sharing her journey with pancreatic cancer. Using Facebook, TikTok, her church Serenity Village Community Church and in a classroom at Normandale Community College, she shared the ups and downs of living with cancer. She educated people on chemotherapy, palliative care and hospice, chronicling her journey bravely along the way. She encouraged people to love, live and enjoy the moments that we have with the people we love the most.
Rosie was preceded in death by her father Daniel Garcia and mother Rita Garcia (Hans), her grandmother Rose Hans and Uncle John Garcia. She is survived by her husband Rick Smith, son Daniel Garcia, her sister Mary (Dwaine) Babcock, her niece Elle Babcock, nephew Evan Babcock, her uncle Freddie Garcia and Aunt Cecelia Garcia, as well as many other close relatives, friends and her church family.
Celebration of Life Service at 2:00 pm, with visitation one hour prior with lunch to follow, Saturday, March 28, 2026. The Celebration will be held at Serenity Village Community Church, 4100 Douglas Dr N, Crystal, MN 55422. Please honor Rosie by wearing purple. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network @ https://www.pancan.org
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