Sadly, our lovely and spirited Rosemarie has left us after a lengthy illness. She leaves behind a beloved and loving family: her husband of 57 years Sam; her children Klaus, Khanh Linh, Toby and Trudy; her grandchildren Alex and Stef; and her nephews and nieces Peter, Ute, Heike, Gesa, Hermann, Heide, Anton and Christof, and their families.

Rosemarie was a woman of great humanity, courage, integrity and fun. Born in Germany, she was 14 years old when WWII began. She survived the bombing, including having spent 2 ½ days buried in a basement. She also swam across a river four times while pregnant to rescue each of her parents from the Russian invasion.

After the death of her first husband Hans, Rosemarie and Klaus crossed the North Atlantic by freighter from Hamburg to Montreal in 1958. Rosemarie initially worked for a mining company and then served as a special librarian with a financial house.

Rosemarie married Sam in August 1962 and the marriage lasted until her death. Into her 40s, determined to grow the family, Rosemarie and Sam adopted Khanh Linh from Vietnam, and Toby and Trudy from Montreal.

Beginning in 1973, Sam's work required the family to relocate numerous times: three times to Sarnia, twice to Brussels, and then to Toronto, London, UK and Oakville. Rosemarie handled the challenges of these transitions with enthusiasm and grace.

At age 64 in Oakville, Rosemarie became a Crabtree & Evelyn retailer. Under her discerning eye, she expanded one store to three, which she continued to manage until age 80.

Rosemarie enjoyed travelling and exploring other cultures. She was multilingual and continued to enjoy her love of languages into her final years, studying French and Italian. She also pursued many other interests throughout her life, including weaving, gardening, caring for animals, reading, opera, ballet and theatre.

A celebration of Rosemarie's life will be held on Sunday, September 8, 2019 at Kopriva Taylor Community Funeral Home, 64 Lakeshore Road West, Oakville, Ontario, L6K 1E1, 905-844-2600. Guests are welcome from 1:00 pm. A service will be held at 2:00 pm, followed by a reception.

Donations may be made to the Oakville & Milton Humane Society .