Roxie Armstrong Vesper, Thirst For Knowledge Unquenchable

When she was in her 80s, Roxie Armstrong Vesper took a computer class - she didn't want this new technology to pass her by. It ended up as her final educational effort in a lifelong quest for knowledge, said her family.

"She wanted to keep up to date," said daughter-in-law Joan Vesper, adding that Mrs. Vesper and her husband, Karl, bought a computer for their use at home. "Roxie was always telling people to go back to school. She really believed in in that, not only for others but for herself."

After her son left for college, Mrs. Vesper headed back to school at age 55, attending summer courses at Oxford University in England, the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and Stanford University. She also took Spanish at North Seattle Community College, using the language on later trips to Mexico.

Mrs. Vesper had her bachelor's degree from the University of California at Berkeley. But, as a schoolteacher, she thought it was important to continue learning, said son Karl Vesper.

Mrs. Vesper continued teaching until her mid-70s, he said. "She never made any concession to her age."

Mrs. Vesper died at her Seattle home Feb. 2. She was 96.

Born in 1895 in Niagara Falls, Mrs. Vesper attended school in Lethbridge, Canada. She served there in the Canadian ambulance corps during World War I, driving wounded soldiers after they returned home from Europe.

Her son said Mrs. Vesper told a story about dancing with the Prince of Wales during a 1919 visit to Canada, which Karl Vesper doubted until he visited Lethbridge and read old newspapers. Mrs. Vesper's name was listed as a dance partner of the future King of England, with the pair dancing to "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" according to the news article, Karl Vesper said.

Mrs. Vesper moved with her mother to Southern California, where she enrolled in college and had a dancing part in the film "Daughter of the Nile." She also traveled with friends to Europe, and was to fly there on the Hindenburg on May 7, 1937; the blimp blew up the day before her scheduled flight.

After graduating in 1925 with a degree in physical education, Mrs. Vesper taught school in Sutter Creek, Calif., before marrying Karl C. Vesper in 1927. The couple lived in Pasadena, Santa Monica and on a ranch near San Diego before moving in 1969 to Seattle to be near their son and his family.

Mrs. Vesper became a U.S. citizen in 1941, and later helped other immigrants with the test. For her work she was awarded the Americanism Medal from the Daughters of the American Revolution.

She was an active member in Seattle's Fifteen Church of Christian Scientist, volunteering in the reading room and serving as a practitioner. "She would wear herself down trying to get other people back on their feet," said Joan Vesper.

Among her hobbies, Mrs. Vesper arranged flowers, painted landscapes with oils, took up weaving, and played the violin and piano.

"People took a shine to her because she was an original, artistic person," said Joan Vesper. "She was always interested in young people, and certainly was international in her interests."

"My mother was a lively, stimulating person wherever she was," said Karl Vesper. "She was a spontaneous individual who would add color to any situation."

Mrs. Vesper is survived by her husband; son and daughter-in-law; and four granddaughters. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be sent to the United Nations Children's Fund, 3 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017. No services were held.