She is survived by her husband of 54 years, James Rosenberg, and their two daughters, Amanda (Whit) Chaiyabhat and Katherine (Kirk) Douglas as well as her sister Tracy (Charlie) Jaco, six grandchildren, her niece Rachel Bloomberg and nephews Donovan and Dustin Jaco.
Vicky was born in Kewanee, Illinois on May 3, 1948, to parents Richard Bloomberg and Mildred Scott. Vicky was the first of three Bloomberg girls, big sister to Gail Bloomberg and Tracy Jaco. As a child, she lived a rural life in Toulon, Illinois, some of it on a farm. She often lamented the hourlong bus rides to and from school and decided she wanted to raise her family in a larger town.
She got her wish after she began attending Illinois State University where she met Jim Rosenberg. The couple was married November 22, 1969, and the following year Jim accepted a teaching position at Crystal Lake Central High School and the couple moved to the northwest Chicago suburb where they made their home the remainder of her life. Later Vicky would finish her studies at Northern Illinois University, from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education in 1971.
She gave birth to her first child, Mandi, at the age of 30, on Mother’s Day, 1977. Three years later the family welcomed Kate.
An ever-dedicated mother, she chose her jobs and the location of their home specifically to maximize time together as a family. The girls could walk to all of their schools from K to 12 and they never came home to an empty house – in fact, most friends who visited the girls after school were met with delicious homemade baked goods. She loved to cook for her family to show her love, which she continued to do even throughout her illness. Not a single special occasion ever passed without a special meal, treat, or a thoughtful gift or card sent cross country.
Her first professional job was working as a teller at Home State Bank but she also spent time working at Thunderbird Nursery School while her girls were enrolled and volunteered at Husmann Elementary School. She then worked as a librarian at the Fox River Grove Children’s Library, where she frequently took the girls on the weekends. She later worked as an assistant librarian at McHenry County College, which her daughters also attended, until she retired.
Although she wasn’t a natural traveler, with Jim by her side she pushed herself out of her comfort zone so the pair could see the world together. They traveled everywhere from Spain’s Canary Islands to Budapest, Vienna, Berlin, Paris, Dublin, Prague and Krakow among countless other globe-trotting adventures. When her daughters were young the family also took multiple vacations each year, driving all across America (with the girls bickering in back).
Once they were grown, she also made frequent visits to see her children as they moved around the country to places including Washington D.C, Arizona, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, California, Texas and Florida. She witnessed the birth of all six of her grandchildren: Mackenzie Chaiyabhat (19), Carter Chaiyabhat (18), Kayleigh Chaiyabhat (15), Cameron Chaiyabhat (6) and twins Alexandria and Andrew Douglas (9).
She was preceded in death by her parents Dick and Millie Bloomberg and her sister Gail Bloomberg - the mention of whom as she was gravely ill made Vicky smile for the last time; she was at peace thinking of reuniting with her sister in Heaven.
Fierce, pragmatic, logical and determined, Vicky was always athletic, strong and capable: She played basketball in high school and took Jujitsu classes as a young wife. She handled home renovations including demolition and building a deck on her own. She wasn’t often openly emotional which belied the fact she was the most loving and thoughtful person you’d ever encounter. Of the grief we all are feeling, she would offer the warmest of hugs, a kiss on the cheek and simply say: “This too shall pass.”
Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. June 14, 2024 at Querhammer and Flagg Funeral Home, 500 W Terra Cotta Ave, Crystal Lake, IL 60014.
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