Rosalie Vinciguerra

On December 17, 2021 of Alexandria, VA passed away peacefully. Beloved wife of the late Thomas Vinciguerra, Rosalie is survived by her children follows Lucia Costantino, Ruth Hugo, Mark Vinciguerra, 10 grandchildren; 3 great-grandchildren; many friends.

A Visitation will be held on Wednesday December 22, 2021 from 5:00-8:00pm at Demaine Funeral Home 520 S. Washington street Alexandria, VA 22314. A Funeral Mass will be held on Thursday December 23, 2021 11:00AM at St. Louis Catholic Church 2907 Popkins Ln, Alexandria, VA 22306, eulogy will proceed funeral mass. Interment will follow Funeral Mass at Mount Comfort Cemetery, 6600 S. Kings Hwy, Alexandria, VA 22306.

Rosalie Torchia Vinciguerra was born in Philadelphia, PA, a fact of which she was continuously proud. She loved the excitement of city life and to hail from the place where this nation’s constitution was written, home to Ben Franklin, and where slaves recognized Philadelphia as part of their journey to freedom were more reasons for her love of the city. She was born the daughter of successful restauranteurs and shared many stories of life in the business. Her family later moved to Germantown, away from the city. Some of her fondest childhood memories were of the “Wissy”, the Wissihicken, a creek and park where she would spend hours playing in it’s beauty.

Rosalie was a graduate of the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL, where she earned her Bachelor of Music degree and it was there that she met her husband Tom and earned, as she would say, her “MRS. ” While at the University, she enjoyed having roles in musicals and in particular Finian’s Rainbow, where as a soprano she sang the part of the train whistle, a sustained tone held over may beats. She would tell of how, after the performance, the audience would want to know who it was that sang that part.

She taught elementary music in Coral Gables until a career move for Tom took them to Key West, FL, where he was an investigative reporter for the Miami Herald. It was in Key West where Lucia, their first child, was born.

They later moved to Hollywood Fl where they bought their first home and welcomed their second daughter Ruth (Tooty) and son, Mark.

When her children were of school age Rosalie resumed teaching at the elementary level at Nativity Catholic School where her children attended. The story of how she taught 50 first graders to read is famous in the family. Many happy memories of those years endured.

A second career move for Rosalie’s husband Tom took the family to Tallahassee, the state capital. Although there for a brief time Rosalie took advantage of proximity to Florida State University where she took classes.

In 1968 Rosalie and Tom moved their family a final time to Alexandria, VA. Their home was in Fort Hunt, a lovely area of Alexandria between Mt. Vernon and Old Town. They enjoyed living near the Potomac River and it’s parks, where they would picnic and celebrate birthdays with the family. From their home on Fort Hunt Road, they watched their children leave for college, the armed services and marry.

She went on to earn a second degree in Spanish from George Washington University. She taught at the Lado Institute, an International school in Washington, DC.

Rosalie was a member of her parish choir. A jazz lover, she sang soprano with the Senior Staff, a jazz band formed by her husband Tom.

She loved classical music, opera, language and words. She was a scrabble player extraordinaire.

She was a grandmother “Nunzi” to 10 wonderful grandchildren, all of whom she cherished dearly. She taught and would love to play the game with them.

She widowed in 2003 and remained in her home until 2019. She had many close and dear friends in Alexandria with whom she remained in contact until her passing. She lived her last years with her daughter and son in law in Olney Maryland.

She leaves a legacy of love and will be dearly missed.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.DemaineFuneralHomes.com for the VINCIGUERRA family.