Rosemary Ward Harris-Brinkley

Harris-Brinkley, Rosemary Ward, 86, passed away February 7, 2012 in Richmond from complications due to stroke. She was born June 29, 1925 in Detroit, Michigan, one of 7 children of Charles & Luella Ward, who all predeceased her. She graduated from Dominican Academy H.S. and from a WW II Nursing School program as an RN. During WW II, she met her first husband, Alvis W. Harris. They married in 1948, moving to the Washington, D.C. area where they raised their 7 children who survive her: Michael Harris (Diana), Maureen Adelman (Richard), Kathleen Bowser (Adam), Donald Harris ( Trudy), Dennis Harris, Jeanette Donati (Bill) and Marcia Harris (Jackie). She is also survived by 3 stepchildren Donna Brinkley, Paige Brinkley and Tom Brinkley; 12 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren.

Mrs. Brinkley was a labor and delivery nurse for many years at Providence and Fairfax Hospitals in the DC area while her husband was a longtime employee of Riggs National Bank. Several years after Mr. Harris’s death, she relocated to Summerlake in Fredericksburg, Va., where she met and married her second husband, Paige S. Brinkley, who predeceased her. In 2003, she relocated to Richmond with her daughter, Marcia, to be closer to family. Mrs. Brinkley was a genuinely kind person who was devoted to her family and Catholic faith. She will be sorely missed.

The family requests that donations in her memory be made to: American Heart Assn., or Little Sisters of the Poor. A short viewing and memorial funeral mass will be held at St. Edwards Catholic Church on Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 10 AM. A private burial at Fairfax Memorial Park will occur later.