April 10, 2022
Dr. Douglas Eugene Rosenau went to be with his Lord on Palm Sunday, April 10th, 2022, at the age of 74.
In Loving Memory
Born June 25, 1947, in French Equatorial Africa to missionary parents, Doug grew up in Africa with his parents and siblings, Vernon and Anna Kay, until coming to the United States in his teens for High School. He received his Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary before pursuing a doctorate in Counselor Education (Ed.D.) from Northern Illinois University. It was there he raised support to study sex therapy at Loyola University.
Doug became a licensed psychologist, marriage and family therapist, and certified sex therapist, setting up practice in Atlanta, Georgia. He has helped countless individuals, couples and families, providing over 50,000 hours of expert counseling and compassionate care.
While in Atlanta he met and married his wife, Cathy. Together they raised their daughter Merrill and his granddaughter Caitlyn, who was truly the apple of his eye. All you had to do was ask about her and his eyes sparkled! He was a kind, caring, loving and gentle husband and father to Cathy and Merrill.
Doug carried on his family’s missionary history by becoming “a missionary for sexual wholeness,” developing a vision and passion for cultivating a sexually healthy church. Through his gentle spirit, jokes, and love for Christ Doug became a respected voice encouraging the Church to deal with sexuality. He authored A Celebration of Sex in 1994 (revised in 2002), Soul Virgins: Redefining Single Sexuality (2006/2012), and Total Intimacy (2014), and several others. He was a frequent speaker at national conferences and loved teaching singles and couples in churches and seminars.
In 2000 he joined with three other Christian sex therapists to found Sexual Wholeness, Inc. Through this ministry he taught hundreds of counselors, therapists, pastors, and educators in healthy sexuality and sex therapy. He was a professor at multiple graduate schools including Richmont Graduate University, Dallas Theological Seminary, Reformed Theological Seminary, and Denver Seminary. Doug called many to join him in being a “missionary for sexual wholeness” and today there are hundreds of students and supervisees who carry on his passion and legacy.
Doug was preceded in death by his parents Eugene Vernon and Ernestine (Healan) Rosenau and his brother Vernon. He is survived by his wife Catherine (Brown), daughter Merrill Rosenau, and granddaughter Caitlyn Sorensen of Atlanta, as well as his sister Anna Kay Haskell of Mauldin, SC, and many nieces and nephews.
Memorial services will be held Thursday, May 5, 2022, at 2:00 pm at The Church of the Apostles in Atlanta, GA. Wearing bow ties in his honor are welcome.
The family requests that those who wish to express sympathy consider making a donation to Sexual Wholeness, Inc. to help in carrying on his passion and legacy.
Click here for memorial fund link - http://SexualWholeness.com/memorial
Update on our Co-founder
March 6, 2022
It is with deep sadness that we write to inform you that Dr. Douglas Rosenau has been diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). CJD is a very rare and rapidly progressing neurological disease.
Dr. Rosenau was scheduled to lecture for two days at Reformed Theological Seminary in early January but had to cancel due to frequent falling (originally thought to be vertigo). As he continued to decline, he spent several weeks in the hospital undergoing tests to diagnose what appeared to be a stroke, but testing showed it was not. The diagnosis of CJD finally came late this week. During his time in the hospital, we have watched him rapidly decline. While he continues to be the sweet, kind, caring individual we know, he is not oriented to time, lapses in and out of confusion, and is unable to walk or care for himself.
This comes as a shock to everyone who knows and loves Doug, especially his family. He has touched countless lives and we believe you would want to know about his illness. We do ask that you respect his, and the family’s, privacy as they adjust to this news.
We know many of you will be asking “what can I do?”
We invite you to express your honor to him by:
Praying for his comfort and care as well as comfort, care, and guidance for his wife, daughter, and grand-daughter. They are having to make a lot of decisions quickly and it is quite overwhelming.
Drop by the Caring Bridge web page we have set up to leave Doug a note. He will not be able to respond, but we will ensure he hears each message placed there.
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/dougrosenauConsider supporting his legacy. If you know Doug, you know he is passionate about recruiting missionaries for sexual wholeness. We invite you to contribute to Sexual Wholeness in his honor. Your contribution will ensure his passion continues. Jump to this link or click the donate button in the upper right corner.
We ask that you not reach out to his family or attempt to visit him at this time. As social as he is, he is currently unable to recognize most individuals.
Michael Sytsma and Debra Taylor
and The Sexual Wholeness team
