Julia Stella Bosworth

Julia Stella Bosworth of Sarasota, FL passed out of time and into eternity to be with her Lord and her darling Bob on August 5, 2021 in Orlando, FL. When Stella (which means “star”) was born to Rudy and Ethel Raath on February 18, 1933, in Pilgrim’s Rest, South Africa, her father was looking into the night sky and knew that her name was to be Star, and that she would be a bright light all her life. Little did he know how bright the light of her love would shine and how many lives she would touch all over the world!

Stella always loved to tell people how her family was among some of the earliest European settlers in South Africa – her father’s side was Dutch, and her mother’s side was English, so she grew up speaking both English and Afrikaans. Stella was an unbelievably gifted storyteller and anyone who spent time with her would be blessed with one of her incredible stories. She spent her earliest childhood on her grandpa’s farm and was always very mischievous. One of her favorite stories was how, as a 3-year-old, she snuck up on him with a pair of scissors as he was sleeping on the porch, planning to cut off his moustache, or as she called them, his feathers. Her dad, Rudy, whom she adored, was in the police force and was stationed in different rural areas on horseback, where he and Ethel always did mission work, telling the local people about the love of Jesus. It was in one of those meetings that Stella, only 6 years old, gave her whole heart to God and never turned back from that decision. God miraculously gave her mother the Zulu language so that she could teach the indigenous people the Bible, and so Stella not only picked up Zulu and Xhosa (the “click” language she always loved to demonstrate), but also caught a missionary heart from her.

In her teens, Stella’s dad was stationed in Durban, South Africa, where she finished high school and then worked in a pathological laboratory. She was a remarkable piano player and was the church pianist. One Sunday night, a handsome and musical visiting American preacher was at the church, where Stella, all dressed in pink with hat and gloves to match, sat in the back. On the platform, that young American, named Bob Bosworth, leaned over to his friend and said, “God just told me I’m going to marry that black-haired girl in the back!” That was the beginning of one of the most amazing love stories you will ever hear.

Bob and Stella were married on September 12, 1953 in Durban, South Africa, and left for the United States soon after. They spent the first 4 years raising funds and recruiting supporters, so that they could go back to Africa as missionaries. They started pioneer bush mission work in Zimbabwe (Rhodesia) in 1958, held big evangelistic tent campaigns, planted churches all over the country, and eventually built a Bible school to train new pastors. Stella was incredible! While Bob went back to the States after his mother died, Stella, with the help of one of the pastors, hauled stone, sand and cement with Bob’s little jeep and trailer, and hand-poured enough cinder blocks in 18 months to build the whole Bible school – and with 2 little girls to care for too! The churches and Bible school are still thriving today and new churches are being planted all the time. Additionally, Bob and Stella started a ministry, called Morning Watch, during the 16-year terrorist war in Rhodesia to call the nation to seek God in early morning prayer. In 1983 they began travelling internationally with this ministry, which took them to over 70 countries. Throughout their travels, Stella lavished mercy and compassion on those she met and their suffering broke her heart. The adventures Bob and Stella had, the lives they touched with the compassion of Christ, and the continued effects of their ministry could fill volumes.

She and Bob were one in everything they did and everywhere they went. They had so much fun together, and she never lost her sense of mischief and love for teasing! If you wondered who was that black leather-clad couple on the motorcycle visiting a hoity-toity English tea shop … well, it was them! Or if Bob walked into the garden and Stella had the hose and an evil twinkle in her eye … well, yes, he got sprayed! So, when Bob had a stroke in 2002 and went to heaven in 2009, Stella felt the loss deeply. Their relationship was a honeymoon of 55 years.

Throughout her life, she managed to juggle ministry and family and was a devoted mother to her two daughters. She made life exciting; you never knew if you were going to come home from school to find her drinking a cup of tea or climbing a tree. Despite the nation being in turmoil through much of their childhood, Stella made sure the home remained a place of love and peace for her daughters. She and Bob tried to provide a normal life for their daughters, whether that meant them driving the girls to piano lessons, or taking family vacations together to hike in the Chimanimani Mountains. What lovely memories! After hip replacement surgery in 2012, Stella moved to the States to be with her family and make more warm memories with her grandchildren, who knew her as their beloved Ouma.

Now based in Florida, Stella prioritized communication and relationship; whether through Facebook, email or phone calls, she spent the majority of her time counseling and praying with friends and family. She also faithfully continued to raise prayer and financial support for the ministries in Zimbabwe and India – she was a missionary to the end!

Stella was truly a bright star in all our lives and is now with the two most important people in her life, Jesus (the Creator of the stars) and her darling Bob. Her love is still shining in the hearts of her daughters, Linda (and Rob) Francis of Orlando, FL, and Debbie (and David) Grohman of Sarasota, FL. She also leaves behind her beloved grandchildren Jeremy, Kristen, Amanda, Christopher and Caleb Francis, and David, Joshua, Michael (and Kerry), Stephen (and Becca), Matthew, Rachel, and Gabriel Grohman. She adored her two great-grandchildren, Kynslee and Isaac, and rejoiced over the 2 little boys still in the womb, who she can see from heaven. She is with her sister Jean (and Chris) LeRoux in heaven. She is survived by her brothers, Peter (and Chantal) and Ethan (and Teresa) Raath and is looking down with love on all their children and grandchildren. Truly everyone who came in contact with Stella Bosworth felt the glow of God’s love shining out of her and we were all incredibly blessed.

A combined memorial celebration announcement for both Bob and Stella Bosworth will be posted in the next few months on Stella’s Facebook page, with a link to a live-stream video. Stella’s passion was sharing the love of Christ with anyone she could, so in lieu of flowers, please honor Stella with a gift to World Outreach. This was the mission ministry to the people of Zimbabwe and India that she and Bob started in 1954, and which David and Debbie will be continuing. Checks can be made out to World Outreach, P.O. Box 4402, Dallas, TX 75208, or online gifts sent through Zelle using [email protected] (please note underline between world_outreach). Please direct any questions to [email protected] or [email protected].

We’d love for you to “Add a Memory” here, or email them to both [email protected] (Linda Francis) and [email protected] (Debbie Grohman).