Born Rose Castiglia, she grew up on a dairy farm in the upstate New York village of Sherburne with her parents, Philip and Laura, who had immigrated from Sicily; sisters Constance and Diana; and brother Guy. Rosie graduated from Sherburne Central High School, where she played the saxophone and helped in the office, then attended the Utica (N.Y.) School of Commerce.
While working as a secretary in Buffalo, she made a friend who shared her sense of adventure and her desire to move to Denver. After a three-day ride west on a Greyhound bus, Rosie spent a night at the YWCA in downtown Denver and within two days found a job and a place to live. It was at the Charmwood boarding house at Ninth Avenue and Pearl Street where Rosie met Warren “Sam” Hill, a handsome redhead who became the love of her life. They wed on December 3, 1953, and raised daughter Barbara and son Paul in a warm and loving home. Rosie and Sam played bridge, bowled and went square-dancing with friends, but they were happiest when they were home with their children. Rosie was a wonderful and supportive mom who could type a term paper, whip up a last-minute costume or make a batch of her world-class spaghetti without missing a beat.
Rosie worked part-time while raising their children but she and Sam, a local business owner, retired after Paul died in a motor-vehicle accident in 1982. Together, they found solace in traveling and in being with their grandson Christopher. After Sam’s death in 1988, Rosie embarked on a new chapter of her life. She bought her own house, traveled to Europe, Australia and Asia, and joined new bridge clubs and a bowling league. Friendly, gracious and outspoken, Rosie became a favorite among her “bridge ladies,” her “lunch ladies,” her daughter's friends, the neighbors on her street and just about everyone who met her.
To her daughter and grandson, she passed along the values of hard work, determination and perseverance that guided her throughout her life. She remained fiercely independent even after it became harder to get around, and she insisted on living life on her own terms.
Rosie is survived by her daughter, Barbara, and grandson, Christopher (wife Dorothy), of Los Angeles; a sister, Diana; seven nieces and two nephews. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Sam; son Paul; her siblings Constance and Guy; and two nieces.
A memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 8, at the Chapel of Peace at Olinger Cemetery, 7777 W. 29th Ave., Wheat Ridge.
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