Rose Mary Pintozzi
Rose Mary Pintozzi
Rose Mary Pintozzi age 95, passed away peacefully on Tuesday June 26th at the loving community of the Norse Retirement Home in Seattle, Washington. Rose was born on June 4, 1923 in South Chicago to Italian born parents, Rachela Palumbo and Roberto Graziano. She was the oldest of 4 children, brother Louie Graziano, sister Carmella Phillips and sister Mary Hanover. She was preceded in death by her parents and siblings and son Frank.
Rose grew up in the Rogers Park area of Chicago where her father had a shoe repair shop and her mother was a seamstress. She attended St. Gertrude’s Grade School, Immaculata High School and business school. After graduation, she became employed as a secretary and in her spare time frequented the big band ballrooms of that era where she met her husband Frank one stormy eve, January 7, 1943. Their first formal date was at the 5100 Club Broadway in Chicago, December 14, 1943. Rose and Frank were married on June 24, 1944 at St Gertrude’s Church with 350 relatives and friends attending the reception in downtown Chicago. They were blessed with 5 children, 
Frank, Rachelle, Joseph, Antoinette and Robert, 8 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren and 16 nieces and nephews.
In 1976, Rose moved to California to be near her surviving Father and 2 siblings. She remained in California for the next 34 years. Having a deep love for dancing, Rose could always be found at many of the famous dance halls around Hollywood, sometimes spending hours on a bus just to reach her destination. She also took up golf, playing at the course near Griffith Park.
Rose had a strong faith in God and became deeply involved with the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Hollywood where she volunteered to direct the children’s choir and participated in many of the church activities. In 2010 Rose moved to Seattle to be near her 2 daughters, first living at the Ballard Landmark Senior Living and then to Norse Retirement Home. She would always be the first one on the dance floor when the entertainment included a dance band.
The family wishes to express their utmost gratitude to all the employees of the Norse Home for their love and kindness to Rose. Your kind thoughts and love will forever be in our hearts.
A memorial and celebration of Rose’s life will be held on Saturday, August 4 at 11:00am at:
Mary Hill Cemetery Chapel
8600 N Milwaukee Ave
Niles, Illinois 60714
This will be followed by a luncheon at:
Amici Ristorante
7620 Milwaukee Ave
Niles, Illinois 60714
Please feel free to bring photos and memories of Rose to share as we celebrate her love of life and powerful faith and trust in God. In lieu of flowers, please give your loved ones a big hug.
6 Responses to “Rose Mary Pintozzi”
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I never met Rose but from her obit. she must have been a remarkable woman. I have known Antonia for many years
and I can see where she gets her strength from.Our prayers go out to you in your grief and just know we are thinking of you and Tony.
Our deep condolences to all of Rose’s family. We were so pleased to get to know Rose, if even only briefly. Her spirit, her contagious good will, and her embrace of life was—and remains—so inspirational. She will be long remembered for her strong faith and love of family. As for us, our best memory will be of her dancing for joy at her 90th birthday party in Seattle.
I’m sad to here about the passing of Aunt Rose. She was truly a vivacious, loving person. All of the Graziano children lived and loved life to the fullest.
My deep condolences to you and your dear family.
It was my joy to have had the honor to know and serve Rose through the services of her Catholic faith as her Cabrini Minister. For the last year and almost two, we weekly spent time together in her apartment at the Norse Home. I knew her as the daughter of loving Chicago parents of whom she was quite proud; a photograph of her mother had a prominent place in her room. She shared her fine watercolor paintings along with her love of her faith, it was important to both of us equally. Never have I had the opportunity to receive such joy in just being present to someone who could be so positive in a world which has so many who seem to focus on the negative. Not Rose, if you didn’t have something good to say, you needn’t darken her door! She loved her God, her family, and her friends at the Norse Home. Bless her Lord; keep her safe in your everlasting arms. I miss my Rose.
What a wonderful woman was our Aunt Rose. She had such a “ joie de vivre » like her younger sister, our mom, Carmella. True to their Italian heritage and strong faith, and everything about family. A fun memory we have is of her playing fresbie with us at a Seattle picnic when she was well into her 90’s. We will miss her presence but always remember her life.
I want to express my deep sadness for the passing of my dear Aunt Rose and express my feelings of what she meant to me.
Aunt Rose was full of Spirit! Lively and effervescent in all she did. So happy, smiling and full of life all the time she was around me and my brothers and sister.
Aunt Rose loved to dance while I played the drums back in Baldwin Park in California, and she would pass to me advice on life and people, that her father Grandpa Graziano use to tell her.
I felt so close to her when she shared her heart about keeping the Christian faith as our most cherished gift, with me. God bless my Aunt Rose and I am sure she is kicking up her heels dancing in Heaven in Gods grandest ballrooms in Heaven.
God bless her wonderful family for the wonderful and holy life she lived.