On Friday, April 5, 2019, Rosemary Catherine Easley (nee Martin) of Catonsville passed away peacefully at the age of 93 years. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband Ray, brothers Richard and Robert Martin and sisters in law Mary Jane and Mary Lou.
Rosemary will be lovingly remembered by her daughter, Kathleen Stewart and husband Gary; son Marty Easley and partner Karen; daughter Rose-Marie Adams and husband Terry; daughter Celeste Easley, daughter Renee Trapani, as well as her beloved grandchildren Caitlin Rose Stewart, Justin Trapani, Kiara Burgemeister, Adam Stewart, Eric Burgemeister and Benjamin Stewart. She will also be forever missed by numerous nieces, nephews and extended family.
A native of Chicago Il, Rosemary was born in 1925 to parents Sophia and Anthony Martin, who cultivated her extensive love of nature from an early age. She attended St Margaret School from 1931-1939 and Academy of Our Lady from 1939 to 1943. College took her to Atchison KS where she graduated from Mount St. Scholastica College in 1948 with a Bachelor of Art in English Literature and a minor in Dramatics and Art. As an active member of the alumnae, she held the offices of regent, treasurer, corresponding secretary, as well as president of the national association. Rosemary went on to receive her teacher's certificate from the Chicago Teachers College.
Prior to her marriage in 1959, Rosemary had a fulfilling career and began her love of volunteer work. During World War II (1943 through 1945), she was an expeditor with the Inspector of Naval Material. Following college, she established the Beverly Nursery School in Chicago. After her school's closure, she taught kindergarten at St Margaret of Scotland in Chicago. Rosemary returned to her alma mater in 1958 as a research assistant at the Mount St Scholastica Tape Institute where she performed psychological research, recorded scripts, and sent tapes to teachers for electronic classrooms. In her spare time, she produced and directed musical comedies and plays in community theaters. Combining her love of children, art, and books, Rosemary authored and illustrated several children’s books for the enjoyment of her students and eventually her own children.
Her husband's work brought her to Baltimore in 1962 where she first devoted herself as a wife, mother, homemaker, and church volunteer. Ray and Rosemary loved to explore nature, taking off camping with their young family dozens of times each year. Her love and talent for gardening was nurtured at St Lawrence Church where she took over the landscaping for parish, as well as devoted herself to extensive volunteer work including leading the parish’s CCD program and coordinating many fundraisers. Rosemary’s faith and ministry was an integral part of her life and she proudly served as one of the first Eucharist Ministers at St. Lawrence. After her parish closed, Rosemary became a parishioner of St. Gabriel Church in Woodlawn. At St Gabriel, Rosemary continued her service as a member of the Social Justice Committee, the mission being to celebrate, embrace and unite the diverse cultures within the parish and community.
In 1972, Rosemary began an impressive 32-year career at Garland's Garden Center in Catonsville retiring in 2004 at the age of 81. Customers all over the area sought out Rosemary's assistance. She was well known not only for her extensive expertise but for her whimsical storytelling, patience and exuberant personality, as well as her signature hats embellished with flowers. For over 15 years Rosemary planned and led interactive tours of the garden center to local schoolchildren. In the 1990’s, Rosemary (now a certified Master Gardener) began her work at University of MD Extension Service where she assisted residents with anything from the proper PH for soil, how to split perennials, to pest control. Long before it became popular, her one true love and expertise was organic gardening – such as using fish scales and emulsions from her fisherman husband’s catch to fertilize her gardens.
Rosemary was published and quoted in many periodicals, including publishing Garland’s newsletter, numerous contributions to local papers (including The Sun, Catonsville Times, and The Catholic Review) and a monthly column, under the name The Rambling Rose of Catonsville, in the community newsletter. She was a frequent guest on Stu Kerr’s call-in gardening program, airing Saturday mornings on WCBM. Speaking engagements included garden clubs, The Baltimore Herb Festival, the Horticulture Society of MD lecture series and the Maryland Home and Garden Show.
She continued her volunteer work at The Senior Center in Catonsville and Mosaic Community Services. In 2007, Rosemary was awarded Mosaic Volunteer of the Year. Her classes at Mosaic helped associates relieve stress that accompanies mental illness and her classes were one of the favorites at the Rehabilitation Program. She was further recognized by the Baltimore County Commission on Disabilities and received the 2009 Baltimore County Volunteer of the Year Award for sharing gardening skills with the mentally ill.
In 2012, Rosemary moved into Charlestown Retirement Community. Her family would like to express their deep gratitude to the staff at Charlestown for providing the love and care that allowed Mom a healthy and fulfilling life during her time there.
Rosemary was loved dearly and she touched so many lives! The family invites friends and community to laugh, cry and celebrate her life at her memorial service on June 21, 2019. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Rosemary’s name to Mosaic Community Services, 1925 Greenspring Drive, Timonium MD 21093 - https://www.crowdrise.com/donate/charity/mosaiccommunityservices.
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