Hornell, NY/St. Petersburg, FL - Rosemary Ann King, 91, of
6652 Poinsettia Ave., St. Petersburg, FL, formerly of Hornell, died Wednesday
morning (April 10, 2019) at her home, surrounded by her loving family. Born in
Hornell on May 24, 1927, she was the daughter of Leo & Thelma (Young)
King. While living in Hornell, she was a
communicant of St. Ignatius Loyola Church.
Rosemary grew up in Hornell and was a graduate of Hornell
High School (class of 1947). She later
graduated from Arnot Ogden Hospital School of Nursing (class of 1949), were she
obtained her Registered Nurses License.
Following her graduation from Nursing School, Rosemary
returned to Hornell and was employed as a registered nurse at St. James Mercy
Hospital, working her way up to the position of supervisor. While living in
Hornell she also worked at Bath Veteran’s Hospital and served as a private duty
nurse.
After moving to Canandaigua in 1960, she was employed as a
registered nurse at Gowanda State Hospital in Gowanda, NY. She later moved to Hamburg, NY where she
resided for three years. While living in Hamburg, Rosemary continued to work at
Gowanda State Hospital. In 1967, Rosemary moved to Collingswood, NJ where she
was employed as an office nurse for Dr. Ira Weiner, a local Psychiatrist.
In the summer of 1969, Rosemary and her family relocated to
Florida, where she continued her nursing career at Bay Pines Veteran’s Hospital
in St. Petersburg, FL. Before retiring in 1992, Rosemary was very proud that 30
years of her nursing career had been dedicated to caring for our nation’s
veterans.
For the past 25 years Rosemary had lived in St. Petersburg,
FL, and was an avid bingo player. She loved spending time in the sunshine,
either gardening or swimming in her pool. Throughout the years she loved
traveling and making countless trips back and forth from Florida to Hornell
visiting with her family.
Affectionately known to her family as “The Laundry Lady,” it
was commonplace for her to find clothes that were not properly put away and
head to the laundry room with them.
Never wasting time to check the pockets, Rosemary washed countless
wallets, money, credit cards, driver’s licenses, photos and other important
items, sometimes several times a day. No unguarded article of clothing was
safe!
In an effort to keep her mind sharp, Rosemary was an avid
reader, reading over 2000 books, and working daily crossword puzzles. In spite
of her age she embraced computer technology, enjoying computer games, reading
on her Kindle, and keeping in touch with her children and grandchildren through
email & Facebook. Without hesitation, Rosemary lovingly cared
for her grandparents, parents, brother and sister in their final days. She
considered it an honor and a privilege to serve her family in this manner ---
it was never a burden.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her
son, Robert, Jr.; her brother, Tommy King and her sister, Doris Kelleher.
Surviving are 2 daughters, Luann (Lenny) Liss of St.
Petersburg, FL and Patricia “Patty” (Jim) Dagon of Hornell; 4 sons, James
(Lisa) Class of Seminole, FL, Martin “Marty” (Edith) Class of Seminole, FL,
Thomas (Kelley) Class of Keller, TX and Dr. Steven (Dr. Michelle) Class of
Terra Ceia, FL; 18 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; several nieces &
nephews.
The family of Rosemary Ann King will receive friends on
Friday from 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at the Dagon Funeral Home, 38 Church St.,
Hornell, NY . A Mass of Christian Burial
will be celebrated on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at St. Ann’s Church with burial in
St. Mary’s Cemetery.
Rosemary’s family request that in lieu of flowers, memorial
contributions in her name be made to St. Ann’s Academy, 41 Genesee St., Hornell,
NY 14843. To leave an online condolence or share a memory, visit www.dagonfuneralhome.com.
