Rosemary Menconi

Rosemary M. (Roe) Menconi passed on from this world on December 31, 2020, following a long period of failing health capped by a bout of coronavirus. She died at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio with Larry Menconi, her husband of nearly 61 years, at her side as always. Despite health problems of his own, Larry put in Herculean efforts to keep her going in recent years, especially over the past few months.

Roe was 79 years old. In addition to Larry, she is survived by her three children – David and wife Martha, Andy and wife Audrey, and Laurie; Andy’s daughter Cleo; David’s children Aaron, Edward and Claudia, and their mother Leigh Watson; Roe’s brother Mike and sister Jan; her favorite cousin and (much older) honorary sibling John Curry; and a far-flung host of nieces and nephews.

Family was everything to Roe, and she was not yet 20 years old when she became a mother. Her life revolved around her own children, and she didn’t just keep the household going but got the kids into Cub Scouts and Brownies, helped with homework, went to Little League games and all the rest. As she put it, “Your father makes the money and I spend it, and it’s a tossup which of us works harder.”

Roe and Larry spent most of their life together in Colorado, where they moved in 1976, and she described them as “mountain people.” She was an avid skier and would have remained so to the end of her days had health permitted.

A strong personality and world-class whistler, she was queen-bee matriarch of the extended family for many years – renowned for humor as well as loyalty, and a fierce sense of both. If you were a relative or a friend, she had your back. You were also likely to get drafted into furniture-moving, one of her favorite activities.

Education and writing were also important to Roe. Since she became a mother so young, she had to balance college with family and didn’t graduate from Trinity University until age 27.

Later she earned a Master’s degree in interior design from Industrial Design Institute in Denver, where she later taught. She also co-wrote an award-winning textbook, 2005’s “Designing For Privacy and Related Needs.” Interior design remained one of her lifelong passions. As she put it, “I just can’t live with bad design.”

After living in Denver for 40 years, Larry and Roe moved back to San Antonio in 2016. Their devotion to each other was an inspiring thing to witness, and they were truly each other’s world for all those years.

A visitation will take place on Monday, January 11, 2021 from 5pm-8pm at Sunset Funeral Home. A Funeral service will be held on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 at 12pm at the funeral home with interment for follow at Sunset Memorial Park with livestream option for those who cannot attend (https://www.facebook.com/SunsetFuneral).