Rose Ann "Rosie" (Dantone) Eimer

Rose Ann “Rosie” (Dantone) Eimer, 77, of Nottingham, Maryland, passed away on December 13, 2019 at Gilchrist Hospice Center in Towson, MD. She was born in Peoria, IL on May 12, 1942, just 2 days after the date of her parents’ wedding on May 10...of 1941. (Her father was fond of telling people that he and his wife were married on May 10, and their daughter Rosie was born 2 days later, on May 12...of the following year. Her mother was not so fond of this joke.) Both of her parents, Joseph and Rose Ann (Dibuono) Dantone, were 2nd generation Italian-Americans. Because of World War II, Rosie did not get to meet her father until she was 3 years old, when he returned from service in 1945.

Rosie attended St. John’s grade school in Peoria and graduated from the Academy of Our Lady in Peoria in 1960. In 1964, she graduated with honor from Bradley University. That same year, she began her teaching career at Northmoor Grade School in Peoria. Later, she taught at Calvin Coolidge School in Peoria. In 1973, she received her Master’s Degree from Bradley University. During this time, Rosie was active in the Peoria Education Association. She also became a member of Alpha Delta Kappa, an international honorary organization for women educators, and maintained this membership throughout her life. In her free time, Rosie enjoyed spending time with her friends, which included memorable vacations to places like Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

On August 18, 1978, Rosie married David H. Eimer, whom she had met at a Catholic Alumni Club retreat. They wed in a ceremony at Rosie’s home in West Peoria and were married for 41 years.

Shortly after marriage, Rosie and Dave were foster parents for several years. In the mid 1980s, Rosie and Dave moved with their two daughters to Bel Air, Maryland where they resided for over 30 years. Rosie briefly did proofreading at home for Waverly Press. In the 1990s, she went back to work as a substitute teacher for Harford County Public Schools. She worked primarily at John Archer School, a public special education school in Harford County, which her daughter Elizabeth attended. She retired in 2004.

While living and working in Harford County, Rosie served a term on the Advisory Committee on Special Education for the Harford County Board of Education. She also served for many years on the Board of Directors for the Harford Center in Havre De Grace, MD, a non-profit organization that provides services and supports to adults with disabilities.

Rosie was a hard worker and was conscientious in all aspects of her life. She had a strong sense of ethics, and was not afraid to speak up for what she believed in. She also had a strong sense of grammar, which she attributed to the nuns who taught at her grade school and their sentence diagramming exercises.

Outside of her professional life, Rosie was selflessly devoted to her family. She was a tireless advocate for her disabled daughter Elizabeth, and was her primary caregiver until 2014, when Elizabeth could no longer be cared for at home. Rosie loved children and enjoyed being a grandmother. Family and holidays were important to her. Although she moved far from her extended family, they were always close to her heart. Rosie also liked to have fun, and was not afraid of looking silly when the occasion called for it--such as the time she dressed up as Santa Claus while visiting family in Illinois during the holidays.

Being Catholic was also an important part of Rosie’s life and a major part of her identity. In Peoria, she participated in the Cursillo movement, and was a member of the Catholic Alumni Club and St. Mark Catholic Church. In Maryland, she was a member of St. Margaret Parish in Bel Air. She was thrilled to win tickets through the parish lottery to see Pope John Paul II at Camden Yards when he came to visit Baltimore in 1995.

In 2016, Rosie suffered a series of debilitating strokes which left her severely disabled. Her husband David became her primary caregiver for the next three and a half years, with the support of Gilchrist Hospice, Gilchrist Elder Care, and VNA of Maryland.

Rosie is survived by her husband, David Eimer of Nottingham, MD and their two daughters, Elizabeth Eimer of Baltimore, MD and Lisa Eimer, of Nottingham. She has one grandson, Liam Eimer-Gleason, also of Nottingham. In addition, she is survived by her sister, Marian Sue (Charles) Hertz of Bartonville, IL, her two nephews Chad (Linda) Hertz of Saratoga Springs, UT and Shane (Mary) Hertz of Peoria, IL; her uncle Charles Dantone of Peoria, IL; and 7 grand-nieces and nephews, as well as a multitude of cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents, 14 aunts and uncles, and several dear cousins.

Visitation will be Friday, December 20, 4 to 7 p.m. at Davison-Fulton Bartonville Chapel in Bartonville, Illinois. Funeral services will be at St. Mark Catholic Church in Peoria on Saturday, December 21 at 11:00 a.m. with additional visitation at 10:00 a.m. Msgr. Brian Brownsey will officiate. Burial will be at Resurrection Cemetery in Peoria. A Celebration of Life will be held in the Baltimore, MD area in January. Specific details will be announced soon. Memorials may be made to John Archer School at 100 Thomas Run Rd, Bel Air, MD 21015, the Harford Center at 4 N Earlton Rd, Havre De Grace, MD 21078, or St. Mark Catholic Church at 1113 W. Bradley Avenue, Peoria, IL 61606. To view Rose Ann’s memorial page or to leave an online condolence, please go to www.davison-fulton-bartonvillechapel.com.