The power of tickling a back can lull a younger sister to sleep, calm an upset teenager, and seep into the heart of a grandchild.

Rebecca “Bekka” Anderson Rousek knew the power of tickling a back from a young age when she shared a room with her sister Rossie, and she wielded it as a gentle superpower as a mother and grandmother. She will be remembered for her long nails easing pain and translating love, as well as for her sparkling blue eyes which even Alzheimer’s Disease could not diminish.

1946 saw the birth of Rebecca Anderson, the second child and first daughter of Susan and Harry Anderson. They called her Bekka. Two more daughters would follow, and the family dedicated themselves to their business, Anderson’s Florist, their church, and their community of Carrollton, Georgia.

After graduating from being a Trojan at Carrollton High School in 1964, Bekka became a Bulldog at the revered University of Georgia. Her degree in Home Economics set her on a teaching path until her marriage to 2nd Lieutenant Charles Rousek in 1969 led her into a career as an Army wife. They moved to Bamberg, Germany when Charles returned from Vietnam. They had hardly lived together before his deployment, and now this southern girl was living in a foreign country. She thrived! Bekka made every military quarters a home for her family and helped her daughters acclimate with every move. She learned the art of wheat weaving and created a successful business; in fact, she was talented with any craft she tried. When the Rouseks finally settled in Carlisle, PA, Bekka created and nurtured beautiful gardens around the 1840’s farmhouse they restored. Even after Charles’ untimely death in 1998, Bekka stayed in the house, showing her strength and fortitude. She delighted in the nature around her, feeding ducks at her pond with her many granddaughters. She had to leave that special place when Alzheimer’s meant she could no longer drive. Ten years later, on Monday, September 16, 2024 that disease would take the last piece of her. Her daughters, family, friends, and caregivers had mourned the loss of Bekka gradually over those ten long years. They were by her side wishing her peace and wholeness when she left this world. Thank you to Hospice for their tender and professional care of Bekka and of us in the final days.

Bekka is now with her parents, Susan and Harry Anderson, her husband Charles, her sister-in-law, Sallye Anderson, and her in-laws Charles and Elizabeth Rousek. Her legacy will live on in her daughters and their families: Elizabeth & Matt Ayers of Dillsburg, PA with Maggie, Katie, Ava and Lucy; Allison and Jamie Marsigli of Raleigh, NC with Seppi and Eliza; her sisters Rossie Anderson of Carrollton, GA and Susan Stephenson of Oklahoma City, OK and her brother Andy Anderson of Clayton, GA. Her memory will be cherished as well by Army family near and far, gardening friends, crafting colleagues and childhood friends.

The family will have a Celebration of Life at Elizabeth’s home in Dillsburg on November 16th. The burial will be at Arlington Cemetery at a later date. Of course, Bekka loved flowers so gather yourself some bright blooms to enjoy or, if so inclined, donate to a causes meaningful to her; a veterans’ organization, Hospice https://hospicefoundation.org, Alzheimer’s Association https://alzheimers.org or the Brain Support Network https://brainsupportnetwork.org which worked urgently to allow for Bekka to give a final gift to research and future generations.