Rosalia Regis Voelker

During the warm sunrise of March 9th, 2025, Rosalia “Rosie” Regis Voelker, a doting wife, mother, grandmother, sister, relative, and friend, began her journey to heaven while at her home in Apple Valley, Minnesota. Rosie was surrounded by her children and one of her sons-in-law as she took her last breath after a long courageous battle with cancer. She left this world having lived her life to the fullest and throughout, maintained a resilient spirit, a strong Catholic faith, and a deep appreciation and love for life.

Before coming to the United States, Rosie lived in the Philippines. She was born on October 10, 1958 to Froilan Regis and Concepcion Pongos in Dagami, Leyte where she spent most of her youthful years. She met her first husband, Edgardo Acedillo, while pursuing her tertiary education at Visayas State University - Alangalang Campus. They settled in Palo, Leyte and had six children. A few years after her first husband passed away, Rosie, alongwith three of her youngest children, immigrated to the United States. While helping out at the restaurant owned by her older sister Lolita, Rosie then met her second husband, William Voelker.

She delighted in her work as a substitute teacher in Agricultural Studies at Alangalang National High School, but ultimately found her vocation as a diligent homemaker. To her children, Rosie was an amalgam of both an authoritarian matriarch and a tender figurehead. She justified her sternness as a means to help all of her children reach their full potential; all the while, her compassion and care was ever present to comfort them at their times of distress, confusion, and loss. She reveled in their successes like they were her own. In her later years, she decided to go back into the workforce and found joy as a preceptor custodian at a nursing home. Unfortunately, her newfound profession was cut short following the tragic news of her cancer diagnosis. In spite of it, Rosie carried on and lived a full life. She continued to travel with her family, indulged in occasional shoes and clothes shopping, and even invested time and effort to help out at her son-in-law’s business venture.

At her leisure, she also loved cooking and hosting gatherings. She would entice her children to visit her every Sunday with delicious homemade dishes. To her family, she made the best puto (Filipino rice cake), fried chicken, calamari, paksiw, and pansit. Rosie also loved gardening. Even when she and her husband were living in an apartment, she used pots and planters to make her little vegetable garden on their patio. Above all, Rosie was known for her fervent Catholic spirituality. She always turned to her faith for guidance in everything she did including in her search for community beyond her family circle. Back in her native land, she bonded with many women who shared the same religious devotion as her, whom she maintained close relationships with even after moving to the United States. She also found a second family with the Couples for Christ Minnesota and was an active member with her husband William. Rosie may have passed but her resilience and positive outlook is her legacy and will remain in the hearts of the people she has touched.

Rosie was preceded in death by her first husband, Edgardo Acedillo, second husband, William Voelker, and by her siblings Benjamin Regis, Reynaldo Regis, and Lolita Thoe. She is survived by her siblings Arnulfo Regis, Nemesio Regis, Adelina Camulte, Eulogio Regis, Brenia Korolchuk, and Evelyn Regis Quinones, children Ronald (Lanilyn) Acedillo, Eunesele (Lewis) Goh, Ian Rey (Raquel) Acedillo, Cyril Gay (Doug) Acedillo, Kit (Brad) Acedillo, and Jill Noreen Acedillo, and grandchildren Shanley Acedillo, Ashley Acedillo, Jotham Acedillo, Marie Francoise Goh, Joseph Francis Goh, Gabriel Acedillo, Uriel Acedillo, Rafael Acedillo, and Sarah Swager, and dogs Sassy Voelker and Harley Voelker.

The funeral service will be at All Saints Catholic Church on Monday, April 7th, 2025 at 11:30 AM, with the visitation beginning an hour prior to the service. A luncheon will be held at the church before the interment at Resurrection Cemetery in Mendota Heights, Minnesota. A celebration of life will also be held at Henry W. Anderson Mortuary on Sunday, April 6th, 2025 from 4-8 PM, the night prior to the funeral day.

Arrangements are being completed by Starkson Family ~ Anderson Chapel of Apple Valley.