Rosemary was born in Hanover Township Pennsylvania in the year1930.

Rosey, a name that she only allowed for use by her husband Joseph, was an adventuress. He will tell you about Rosemary's upbringing after which he will relate some of Rosemary's escapades, which are so varied, they read like the talking about phases of the moon. At the midpoint of Rosemary's 93d year Rosey began a new adventure, a grand journey, one whose path one may only ponder.

Mom, Florence, was quite strict in monitoring Rosemary’s behavior and scolded Rosemary at times that she would depart with her sister Gianna to Wilks Barre’s surrounding coal mine slag heaps for bring home a few pieces of melted iron, which they sold to the traveling junk man.

Dad,Tony, (Anthony) was an ornamental plasterer, an artisan in the mold of those who built the Pantheon in Rome. He emigrated the American Continent at age of 19 from his home in San Daniele located in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of North Italy when he broke free his brother from prison. His brother was suffering the consequences of committing a minor crime. They crossed the border into Austria and found their way to their new home.

Anthony was one of the few young people in San Daniele who could read. This skill allowed him to be recruited by the Carabinieri, the military police. He guarded the King Victor Emanual III but gave up this prized position to save his brother.

Tony and his brother was began work in the building trades. He learned to decorate church interiors with formed plaster. Tony was independent. He ceased to work for contractors and went off on his own. He is remembered among other grand works for fashioning the 24 foot tall statue from clay and plaster, which was finally cast in aluminum, of Christ The King. It was designed by his friend Lawrence Russo, the architect and dominates the skyline of Wilkes Barre from the roof of King’s College. Lawrence drew and Tony modeled. Tony and Lawrence assiduously visited the saloons that the construction workers in Wilkes Barre frequented.

At Tony’s funeral the attending Priest told the tale of the images of the Apostles, which adorned the church’s interior frieze. They were drawn by Lawrence and fabricated by Tony. Upon unveiling the viewers gasped since as the Apostle’s faces were undraped the audience clearly perceived that they were fashioned from the group of the local well-oiled workmen who navigated the bar scene.

Rosemary’s family moved to nearby Wilkes Barre when she was 12. They lived on the banks of the Susquehanna River. Rosemary recalled the many times when she was evacuated from their home because of the periodic flooding of the River. Many years later Rosemary overcompensated for her fear of rising waters and implored her husband that they land which they would purchase to build their home that lay, high, near the peak of Marlborough Mountain.

Rosemary sought more excitement than the provincial town, Wilkes Barre, offered. Her sister Gianna was a stay-at-home girl and later attended the local Marywood College (University) but Rosemary went off to Washington D.C. a land of excitement. In 1958 Rosemary was hired by the State Department though she never understood why. At the age of 18 she had no special skills. Rosemary was personally chosen by John Foster Dulles then Secretary of State for a position in the State Department. Many of Rosemary's friends understood that it was her good-looks rather than her debatable skills, which secured her appointment.

Rosemary’s work was undefined and varied. She often traveled on her bicycle to the White House to deliver Ambassadorial papers and other documents, she embossed the great seal of the United States on important official papers and brought coffee to John, himself, and other government officials. An unverified story about Rosemary is that if she didn’t approve of an Ambassadorial appointment she discarded it in the trash. Rosemary wanted to move on. She hoped to be stationed in Paris. But the fates, those in charge, offered her a position in the Embassy at Kuala Lumpur. This was probably done to rid themselves of a problem which their boss, JFD, did not recognize. Not Paris, not ever Rome so Rosemary quit her job and traveled west.

First to Salt Lake City, where she worked as a librarian, then California, a few cities west of the Rockies, on to Sausalito and finally to San Francisco where Rosemary waited tables in Italian restaurants.

Joseph always accused Rosemary of being part of the Beat Generation, which she denied. The Beats are often are confused with Hippies. Not so! The Beats were a literary movement concerned with politics and literature and so was Rosemary.

As proof of Rosemary’s involvement in the arts Joseph, upon visiting this San Francisco many years later to visit his wandering son, Alexander, he discovered a review of Rosemary’s theater activity in which she acted in a play with the Diane Feinstein who later became the Senator from California. Rosemary’s review was superb, Diane's not much so.

Rosemary spent much of her time at the City Lights Bookstore that was the center of the Beat generation and her association with people like Mark di Suvero, an artist now represented at storm King Art Center, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, its owner and Alan Ginsburg.

For Rosemary’s political career. Fifty years ago Rosemary lost a kidney, probably due to the whipping by a policeman’s nightstick during her participation in a political march.

Next took the small amount of money that she saved from her employment as a librarian, and other varied work in the west and traveled by freighter to her father’s homeland, Italy. Rosemary worked at the United Nations Information Center in Rome where she met Wendy. A year later she encountered Wendy on a New York City Street.

Wendy introduced Rosemary to Joseph. They have been together ever since. Joseph was intrigued with Rosemary during this first meeting because Rosemary was dancing on a dining table of the Puglia, a classic Italian restaurant, located in little Italy.

When Joseph met Rosemary, she was living in a farmhouse, the last farmhouse in Manhattan. One entered through two wooden barn gated doors. Joseph, the innocent was thrown into a world of adventure by his encounter. When Joseph and Rosemary went for a day’s travel along came Rosemary’s friend Marion Tanner. Marion was the model for Edward Everett Tanner ‘Patrick Dennis’ Auntie Mame. Once they visited Fire Island and Marion enticed Joseph into breaking into a summer home so she could retrieve clothing that she left there. Joseph spent the evening in jail. Marion was one of many friends that Rosemary had that didn't belong to the mainstream city life. Rosemary's friends were all unusual. There was Leilani, an actress who was a puppeteer at the NY World's Fair. Leilani carried a revolver in her hand bag since she feared that she would be attacked in her Greenwich Village home. Then Priscilla. Priscilla embodied the qualities of a witch. One could not set their eyes upon her without thinking of Shakespeare's MacBeth.

Life calmed. Rosemary gave birth to Joseph and her children, Jules and Alexander. From the beginning of their children's lives Rosemary guided them to Medicine, an occupation which she desired for herself. She succeeded first with Jules who worked with a researcher, Ralph Steinman at Rockefeller University then Alex. Ralph won the Nobel prize while Jules was there but lost his job because a day after the prize was awarded Ralph died and as is customary his lab shut down. Ralph was one of three who was awarded the prize posthumously that was against Nobel rules. It was not rescinded as when the Noble Committee discovered their time lapse the prize was already given. Jules went on to be an oncologist, Alex an emergency room doctor.

Rosemary's family lived on the Greenwich Connecticut waterfront on Steamboat Road. Next the pair purchased a home in Port Chester, NY and later moved to Wappingers Falls, NY where Joseph opened a furniture store. New York. Rosemary made the decision to return to college. Rosemary returned to college after having a start of the College learning experience at Wilkes located in her hometown and while living in Poughkeepsie earned degree in Italian Literature from Vassar College. Next Rosemary went forward to social work school and worked for social work agencies and completed her career by joining Family Services in Poughkeepsie.

In the year 1995 Joseph and Rosemary moved to Milton, NY where they built their home. They left 18 years later for 6 years moved to a wonderful retirement community, Woodland Pond in New Paltz. After which they moved back to their home in Milton. They were again returning to Woodland Pond when Rosemary passed while spending the last days of her life being wonderfully cared for in the Woodland Pond nursing facility.

Rosemary was active in the community. She was the president of The New York State Society of Clinical Social Work for almost 10 years, a director of Poughkeepsie’s Community Family Development organization, the vice president of the Milton Public Library, taught Italian language at Woodland Pond and other community services too numerous to mention.

Rosemary is survived by her husband Joseph, her sons Alexander and Jules, her grandchildren Emma, Peter, Oscar, Ivy and Caleb. Rosemary's younger sister Gianna married a Dane and moved to Denmark many years ago, She passed on 8 years ago, Gianna's daughter Ane Marie occasionally sends Rosemary a note on Facebook and Rosemary’s cousin Janet along with cousin Lucy, whom she sought and found using her interest in that great tool of Social Work, the Genogram.

That’s it! All, which remains of Rosemary’s family.

Travel lightly, Rosemary. All of us wish to hear stories of your latest adventure

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