Rosalie "Rose" Misco

Rosalie “Rose” Barbara Misco, of the Town of Grand Chute, passed away on September 21, 2026. She was born in Kaukauna on August 1, 1938, to John and Mary Ann Baker.

Rose met Billy Joe Misco while they were working at Appleton Coated paper company. They married in 1959 and went on to have four children: Steven, Mary Ann, William, and David.

Rose lived an active life devoted to her family, her community, and serving others. From an early age, she had a love of flowers. As a child, she enjoyed picking flowers from her mother’s garden and creating arrangements. After she and Billy Joe settled in rural Appleton, Rose planted a large flower and vegetable garden of her own. Summer days often found her canning tomatoes from the garden, baking homemade bread, and creating floral arrangements from the flowers she had grown.

In 1976, Rose, who served as a deaconess in her church, spearheaded the creation of the Christian Clothes Closet. Housed in the Outagamie County Health Center, the Clothes Closet provided free clothing to people in need, including refugees who had fled Vietnam and were being resettled in the Appleton area. In 1980, as expenses continued to grow, Rose turned the organization over to another group. It was renamed the Community Clothes Closet and continues to serve the community today.

Rose’s creativity and love of flowers eventually led her to start her own floral arrangement business. In 1995, she opened Misco’s Silk Flowers and Greenery, initially operating out of Northland Mall. The business later moved across the street on Northland Avenue before Rose eventually relocated it to an accessory building on her property.

Never one to sit still, Rose later turned her attention from flower arranging to another longtime passion: baking. In the late 70s, Rose had been a program assistant in the Nutrition Education Program at the University of Wisconsin-Extension. She remained interested in nutrition, and after her 1994 diabetes diagnosis, when she struggled to find low-carbohydrate foods, she became a self-proclaimed “mad scientist,” experimenting with recipes and using herself as a guinea pig for creating baked goods that didn’t spike blood sugar. In the early 2000s, Rose began selling her goods at the Appleton Farmers Market, which led to the creation of her second business, Natural Expressions 100% Whole Grain Bakery.

In 2007, Rose had the accessory building on her property outfitted with a licensed commercial kitchen, where she continued baking and developing recipes in her “lab,” as she called her kitchen. Her daughter helped her launch a website, where Rose sold various dried mixes she created. She also shared her knowledge with others, teaching classes and giving bread-making demonstrations at local high schools. She was featured in numerous newspaper articles and radio interviews. Diabetic Living Magazine also visited her bakery for a photo shoot and feature article in its 2006 edition.

Rose finally retired at age 80, and enjoyed reading, tending to her garden, and watching the wildlife around her home. She especially loved seeing the birds, turkeys, deer, and other creatures that gathered at her large bird feeder and the piles of corn she set out for them.

Rosalie is survived by her four children, Steven, Mary Ann (Kevin), William (Lorene), and David and his partner, Moyosiore; her grandchildren, Marlee, Sasha, Shelly, Jesse, Nicole, and Kyle; her brother, Clifford; and her sister, Lillian.

She was preceded in death by her parents, John and Mary Ann Baker; her husband, Billy Joe; and five siblings, Donald, Gerald, Arthur, Carol, and Helen.

Rosalie will be missed by her family and by all who knew her. A private family remembrance will be held.

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.