Naomi I. Rossi passed into the presence of her beloved Savior, Jesus Christ, on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. She was at home, surrounded by the warm embrace of her family, in Atascadero, California.  

She was the youngest daughter of George and Jeanette Fleming. Born in Crossett, AR in 1933. Her mother and siblings were moved to San Luis Obispo, CA, after Naomi’s father was killed. Her mother’s sister and brother-in-law took them along when they went west. The family attended Grace Church in SLO and was greatly helped by their generosity. When Naomi’s mother remarried, she became the middle child with two little sisters. She attended schools in SLO with her siblings and many cousins who had also moved out to California from Arkansas.

In 1950, she married the love of her life, James Rossi, at a wedding chapel at Lake Tahoe. They honeymooned in San Francisco before coming home to Templeton to meet his family and live on the Crescent Farms Dairy. Although she missed the SLO life, she was soon busy with her family and children. During the 50s, three children were born, and the last one arrived after moving to a home in Atascadero. She was especially glad to get Edith Rossi for a mother-in-law, who taught her cooking and child-raising and would babysit even when there were four kids.  

During the 60s and 70s, she was a wife, homemaker, chauffeur, cook, housekeeper, referee, and planner of the household. Somewhere in the middle of all that busyness, she came to know Jesus as her Lord and Savior, which made a difference in how she lived. She became a Good News Club teacher and shared her faith with her family and just about anyone who came in contact with her. As the children left home and got their own families, she shared Jesus with them and the grandkids and great-grandkids.

In 2018, when Jim went home to heaven, she became much more of a homebody. She settled in her blue recliner and read and shared many books and her faith with others. She was generous in sharing the blessings that God had given her with others, some of whom she knew and others she is only meeting now that she is in heaven. This past year, her health began failing, and up until the last couple of months, she endured the pain with Tylenol and pillows in her blue recliner. She regularly checked on others who needed encouragement by phone, sharing Jesus’ love.

She is survived by four children: Susan Sommers (Scott), Atascadero, Steven Rossi (Lauri), Atascadero, Julie Kauffold (Michael) of Wolf Point, Montana, and Christoper Rossi (Dawn) of  Wisconsin. One sister, Janet Martinez, Morgan Hill. Thirteen grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, James Rossi, brother George Fleming III, Sisters Ruth Salvador, Irma Nickerson, and Grandson Samuel Sommers.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to Child Evangelism Fellowship, PO Box 1784, Atascadero, CA 93422, or St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, PO Box 50, Memphis, TN, 38101-9929, or Samaritans Purse, PO Box 3000, Boone, NC, 28607

A Celebration of Life will be held on Thursday, March 20, at Gospel Chapel in Atascadero, CA, at 11:30 AM. Luncheon to follow.

We thank everyone who has upheld us in prayer these last few months. We want to thank Dr. Ellison and all my mom’s caretakers, Kimberly, Stephanie, Barbara, Michelle, Wendi, and especially Luanne, who spent her last six months week nites making mom laugh and feel comfortable.