Rosalie Mercedes Lopez

Dr. Rosalie “Ross” Mercedes Bender Lopez was admitted to Banner University Medical Center in Tucson, AZ, on January 25, 2022. She passed away from COVID-19 and associated complications on March 11, 2022 in Tucson, AZ. She was 67 years old.

Rosalie was born September 6, 1954, in Tucson, AZ, to Manuel and Geraldine “Jay” Lopez. She was active during her years at Pueblo High School as a cheerleader and student body officer until she graduated in 1972. She then began college at Northern Arizona University and graduated with an Associate of Science in Business degree in 1979. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from the University of Northern Colorado in 1980, and received her master’s in business administration from the University of North Texas in 1982. Rosalie graduated with honors from the University of Houston Law School with a Juris Doctor degree in 1990, and finally earned her Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership degree from the University of Phoenix in 2010.

Rosalie was the first Latina to be a finalist in the 1971 Miss Teenage America Pageant in Tucson. She went on to serve in many leadership positions, including upper management for several Fortune 500 companies. She was frequently the first top-ranking Latina in human resources positions, and began consulting in business and practicing law.

In September 1989, Rosalie was present at the signing of President George H.W. Bush’s National Hispanic Heritage Month Proclamation and the Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans Executive Order in Washington, D.C. And she remained a committed advocate for Hispanic communities. She assumed countless roles in getting people registered to vote. She was a Jefferson Award winner in Houston and founder of Hispanas Adelante, an organization committed to helping at-risk Hispanic girls from dropping out of school. She was devoted to her work against domestic violence and participated in various organizations to bring awareness to the cause. Rosalie also served on two school boards: Our Lady of Guadalupe in Houston, TX, and Tucson Unified School Board in Tucson, AZ.

Rosalie maintained an extensive personal library of books written by and about Latina women. She was the author of several works, including Yesteryear Once Again, a World War II historical account of her American citizen mother’s survival in the Philippine jungles during the Japanese occupation. She was a benefactor of the arts and theatre. Rosalie was a successful attorney, contributed to the cities in which she resided by being a community leader, and was passionate about education. Rosalie traveled the world and made an impact on the communities she called home, but she returned to Tucson to care for her elderly parents until she became ill.

In September 2009, Rosalie underwent her first double-lung transplant surgery. After recovering, she opened her home to foster children. In 2013, she had a second double-lung transplant and was expected to live only a few more years. Defying the odds, she survived another nine years, which gave her the opportunity to foster and later adopt three beautiful children.

Rosalie was preceded in death by her father, Manual R. Lopez, and her mother, Geraldine Lopez, as well as siblings Skippy (Hilde) Concepcion, Merle Concepcion, and Bienvenido Concepcion Jr. She is survived by her children Seth (Andrea) Boots of Sugar Land, TX, Vanessa Lopez of Los Angeles, CA, and three children she adopted from the Arizona foster care system. She is also survived by her siblings Jane Mitchell, Manuel F. (Norma) Lopez, Michael Bender, and Geraldine “Girlie” (Ray) Forman.

A tribute in Rosalie’s honor will be held on Friday, April 8, 2022, at 10 a.m. at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church at 602 W. Ajo Way, with internment to follow at Funeraria del Angel South Lawn Cemetery, located at 5401 S. Park Avenue. A reception will follow for friends and family at Cafe Santa Rosa at 2615 S. 6th Avenue.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Grace Retreat Foster Care and Adoption Services at www.graceretreatfostercare.org.

The family wishes to thank Tomasa Manjarrez and Olga Peralta for their support, compassion, patience, and care of Rosalie for many years. The family would also like to recognize Girlie Forman, Michael Bender, Olga Peralta, and Ricky and Deborah Hauptman for their support and contributions following Rosalie’s passing.