On December 5, 2011, Rose Mary Zicarelli was invited to the Christmas party in Heaven joining all the Angels, Saints, her Lord Jesus and lead by the hand by her Blessed Mother Mary.
Rose Mary was born November 16, 1919 to Hungarian immigrants, Rosa Rubla and William Wash, in Elyria, Ohio. She is survived by two sisters, Ruth Hostetler and Betty Keister both of Elyria. Predeceasing her were her parents and her brother Willie. Rose had one special trip she spoke of; at the age of 17 her mother took her to Hungary by steamship for one summer. She made many friends, learned Hungarian and even had a few sweethearts who wanted her hand in marriage.
Rose met the man of her dreams, Carl Zicarelli at the Crystal Beach dance ballroom on Lake Erie. They both loved dancing, long talks on the front porch and, most importantly, each other. They were married in Elyria, Ohio on May 17, 1940. Rose's first two sons, Carl and Dale, born in Ohio, would not grow up in the harsh snow. With reluctance, the family took the big chance and moved out West to Southern California to make a better life out in the sunshine and warm weather.
Rose and her family loved it there; where she and Carl had two more sons Brent and Chris. Rose spent most of her younger years raising her four boys at home-- teaching them, guiding them in the family values, morals and traditions. They had two strong familial traditions to live up to, Hungarian and Italian. Rose never met a stranger in life, she could capture you instantly into a conversation with her welcoming smile, whether it was standing in line at the post office or standing in front of the zucchini bin in the produce department. She'd start discussing recipes while the boys would be waiting and saying "come on Ma!"
In 1978 Carl, her beloved husband, passed away leaving Rose to live on to enjoy life as her four son's families grew.
Rose would travel around the country in RV's, planes, in a limo accompanying the son's with their families, and sometimes staying home to "watch" the kids. She was a generous Gramma Z, Gramma Rose, Queen Bee, and Nana.
Rose would look forward to Skyping on the computer with her grandchildren even if just watching the "little ones" play. It was family she cared about most, , and she felt so blessed to be living with Chris, Brent, Val, Alex Schmidlen, Dorothy and George Fox as she reached the twilight of her years. We were a family and she helped hold us all together.
Always content with a roof over her head, warmth, food, and loving family she never complained, even as age and arthritis crept up on her. Her regular outings included getting her hair done and Saturday night Mass. Rose made friends there too, her contagious smile, the sparkle in her eyes made you feel welcome.
She is survived by a large and loving family. Her first son, Carl, married Patty; they had two children, Gina and Geno. Geno married Christine and they have two sons, Gavin and Dillon, and all live in Southern California. Her second son, Dale, married Anne, they had one daughter Shannon who married Jason Daetwiler and have two children, Elianna and Jonas and they all live in the Sacramento area. Her third son, Brent, married Val; they both lived with Rose these last few years. They had two children, Jannell and Scott, who are both pilots in the U.S. Air Force. Jannell married Christopher MacAulay and they have one daughter, Alexandra Rose, and live in Alabama. Scott married Angela and they have two sons, Jackson and Luke, with one more on the way. They all live in Texas. Her youngest son, Chris, was always there for her, her rock, and the person whom ensured her every need.
Rose’s legacy goes beyond her loving family. Her passion for life, perpetual kindness, dignity, and eternal smile will continue on through the lives she’s touched. Your earthly family here on earth will miss you Rose, but we know you're part of the Holy Family now in Heaven and making them smile too.
Rosary will be at 12 noon on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2011 followed by the Funeral Mass at 1pm at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church Reno, Nevada.

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