Roselle J. Ledesma was born in San Diego, California in the early 1970s and moved to Bellevue, Nebraska at the age of two. The youngest of five children in a Mexican American family, Roselle grew up in a creative household where art and music were part of everyday life. Her father, a musician, introduced her to the drums at a young age, and she quickly took to the instrument—teaching herself by playing along to the radio. By the time she was three years old, she was already playing drums, and that early passion would shape the course of her life.
Roselle attended Bellevue East High School, graduating in 1990. During high school she took great pride in being the backbone of the award-winning Bellevue East marching band. She also excelled in drawing and painting, often leading classmates in art projects. Her signature visual style would later become her detailed stippling pet portraits, known for their remarkable texture and depth.
After graduation, Roselle studied Studio Art at the University of Nebraska at Omaha from 1990–1991 before leaving to pursue music and other creative endeavors. Over the next 15 years, she worked in graphic design and editing for private photographers throughout Bellevue and Omaha, continuing to blend her artistic and technical talents.
A lifelong drummer and multi-instrumentalist, Roselle became a well-known and respected performer within Omaha’s music community beginning in the early 1990s. She played in numerous bands, including Lavender Couch, Sons and Daughters, Cornel Bitch, Angry Beaver, Me Jane, The Clincher, Red #9, 3rd and Delaware, Awake & Breathing, Charlotte Sometimes, Damn It Daniel, Minutes to Miles, and served as a fill-in drummer for Pleiades and the Bear. Her all-lesbian rock band, Lavender Couch, opened for Ani DiFranco at a small house show around 1994—an unforgettable milestone. In 2004, she played drums for the musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Nebraska AIDS Project’s Night of a Thousand Stars and for its award-winning run at Omaha’s Blue Barn Theater.
Roselle was not only a musician and artist, but also a proud Mexican American lesbian woman and LGBTQ+ advocate. Growing up as a natural tomboy, she gravitated toward playing with boys and experienced early crushes on girls, though she did not yet have language for what that meant. While living in Germany from ages 10 to 13 due to her stepfather’s military deployment, she had her first kiss—with both a girl and a boy—and began to better understand her identity. By age 18, she began coming out to friends and family, receiving acceptance and support at a time when being openly gay was far less common. Her mother was one of her strongest protectors and encouraged her to live authentically.
In her twenties, Roselle found deeper community in Omaha’s LGBTQ+ spaces, including local clubs and gathering places where chosen family looked out for one another during a time when harassment and violence were real threats. She lived through the era of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and witnessed the eventual triumph of marriage equality—part of a generation that fought, endured, and helped create change.
In 2014, Roselle shifted career paths and began bartending at the Down Under Lounge in Omaha, where she became a beloved presence in the community. She lived in Omaha with her cats, Bowie and Brody who she was very proud of.
Roselle passed away in Omaha on October 2, 2025, surrounded by family and close friends.
Eli and Roselle were good friends for many decades. For those of us who knew her personally, Roselle was more than her accomplishments. She was a helper, a giver, and a deeply compassionate human being. We grew up together in many ways, navigating what it meant to exist openly in a world that did not always welcome LGBTQ+ people. When I came out as transgender in 2015, Roselle stood beside me with encouragement and understanding, even when the world was still playing catch up. She saw me for who I am. Though she occasionally stumbled over pronouns, she always apologized sincerely and committed herself to doing better. That was Roselle: accountable, loving, and intentional.
When I asked if she would contribute a piece to the Gender Affirming Care Art Show, her answer was an immediate yes. She said she already knew exactly what she wanted to create. She completed the piece in July 2025 and was so excited to show it to me. When I saw it, I was just as excited to include it in the exhibition. You’ll have to attend the opening to experience her incredible contribution in person. This page serves as my way of memorializing a true friend, one I think about almost daily and who will always hold a special place in my heart.
Roselle, I miss you deeply. I hope wherever you are, you are at peace and free from pain. Your rhythm, your art, and your love continue to echo in all of us.
