Rosemary Anne Baldwin

BALDWIN, Rosemary Anne (October 15, 1978 - January 28, 2020) - Suddenly in her 42nd year. Beloved daughter of Robin and Denis Baldwin. Dear sister of Heather Seely and Susan Baldwin (Mato Kraljik). Companion of Norbert Burgdorf. Dear niece of Norma Exley (Bill), Alan Baldwin (Joyce). Auntie of Kyle Breckenridge, Alex Seely and Jessy Seely. Cousin of Laura and Sylvia Exley and Penny, Timothy, Chris, Simon and Adam of the UK. Rosemary will also be dearly missed by her German Shepherd Raynor. Friends are invited to visit with the family at Emmanuel United Church (224 Bennett Blvd) on Monday, February 3, 2020 from 10 am until time of service at 12 pm. Rev. Nancy Ferguson officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to the Sault Area Hospital Foundation - Mental Health Fund or Emmanuel United Church Gifts and Memorial Fund would be greatly appreciated. Arrangements entrusted to Arthur Funeral Home - Barton & Kiteley Chapel (492 Wellington St. E. 705-759-2522). Please visit Arthur Funeral Home website obituaries to leave memories and condolences as a keepsake for the family.

Time February 2 , 2020

Last Tuesday morning- Jan. 28th- my beautiful sister Rosemary lost her battle with mental illness. We can ask why, but we will never have an answer to why she chose to end her story by taking her own life. All we know is she had a beautiful story to tell and the end shouldn't have been written this way.

Before I tell you her story, I must point out that as a young girl my family called her Rosie, but as an adult she made it clear she preferred Rosemary or Rose, but tolerated Rosie by Mom. However, she always was and always will be Rosie to me and therefore as I tell you her story, it will be peppered throughout with Rosie.

She was a beautiful little girl growing up. I have a favourite picture of her when she was 4 standing in the backyard wearing a sundress and holding a bouquet of dandelions. In it, she reminds me of a princess or a porcelain doll.

Rosie was stubborn and independent right from the start. Mom has a memory of her about age 4 fussing and crying while trying to tie her shoes by herself. Mom tried to help her, but Rosie stubbornly pushed her hands away and said, 'No, I can do it myself'. After more fussing and crying Rosie did manage to tie them on her own.

She could also be rather aloof even as a little girl. As cute as she was with her blonde curly hair and soft brown eyes, she wasn't always cuddly. I remember when dad picked her up, she would throw her arms up and wiggle side to side, then say 'I fall down' until she slid through Dad's arms to the floor.

I won't go into detail here, but her teen years were rough. She made a few attempts to take her life and it was frightening. She was finally diagnosed with major depressive disorder. However, she fought bravely and continued to be a loving, loyal, vibrant and incredibly talented young woman.

She learned to play guitar and practiced for hours. A lot of the songs she played were self taught. She was also a talented artist. Sketching and painting came naturally to her. In her early high school years, she sketched a drawing of the late Kurt Cobain, which hung in the Art Gallery Of Algoma. She went to Algoma University and earned her degree in visual arts. My family has a large collection of Rosie's artwork she has done over the years.

After university, Rosie decided to go on an adventure and went to South Korea to teach English for a year. We loved hearing about her new experiences.

When she returned, Rosie landed a job at Sutherland Global Services where she worked for several years. During that time, she also bought her first home and her first dog, a German shepherd she called Raynor.

She enjoyed her walks with him and would take him out on the local hiking trails. She would often write to me about the various wildlife she would see on her adventures as she knew how much I loved wildlife. I looked forward to those messages.

Several years ago Rosie took up running. She joined a running club, the Sault Strydrrs and started training for marathons. Her friends describe her as being fast. She told me once that the running helped her cope with her illness. She ran more than her fair share of marathons over the years. She ran the Boston marathon 3 years in a row including the year the bomb exploded. She finished an hour before it went off and was already safe in her hotel room. The trauma of that day did not stop Rosie from returning the following year. After that, she decided to start running in other marathons and there were several. She also ran in the North Face Endurance Challenge, which doesn't look easy.

Most recently, Rosie went back to school and graduated as an RPN through Sault College. She landed herself a job in the mental health department of the Sault Area Hospital. During the interview, she was asked how long she planned to stay there because most nurses used mental health as a stepping stone to their preferred departments. Rosie replied 'For me this isn't a stepping stone. Mental health is exactly where I want to be'. She was hired immediately. Rosie once told me that working in mental health was important to her because she identified with the patients.

I have repeatedly asked why she did not ask for help from the very department that would understand her the most. It's another question we will never have an answer to.

I am glad that at Christmas of 2018, I finally had some closure with her about our earlier years. I told her I had been frightened in high school that I was going to lose her then and felt we had become distant because of it. We opened up to each other about our struggles to discover that our sister bond was as strong as it ever was. We had always loved each other fiercely and had never stopped. We had always had each others' backs. I only wish she had found the strength just one more time to reach out for help. The strength to tell me, or Soozie, or our parents. Just someone. Anyone. Just. One. More. Time. If she had found that strength the end of her story could have been written very differently, she'd still be here with us and I wouldn't be telling you her story. I am proud of the woman she was and I am proud to share her story with you, but I wish she was here to tell it to you, herself.

You will be forever loved and missed, Rosie. I love you. Run with the angels my beautiful sister.

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BALDWIN, Rosemary Anne (October 15, 1978 - January 28, 2020) - Suddenly in her 42nd year.

Beloved daughter of Robin and Denis Baldwin. Dear sister of Heather Seely and Susan Baldwin (Mato Kraljik). Companion of Norbert Burgdorf. Dear niece of Norma Exley (Bill), Alan Baldwin (Joyce). Auntie of Kyle Breckenridge, Alex Seely and Jessy Seely. Cousin of Laura and Sylvia Exley and Penny, Timothy, Chris, Simon and Adam of the UK. Rosemary will also be dearly missed by her German Shepherd Raynor.

Friends are invited to visit with the family at Emmanuel United Church (224 Bennett Blvd) on Monday, February 3, 2020 from 10 am until time of service at 12 pm. Rev. Nancy Ferguson officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to the Sault Area Hospital Foundation - Mental Health Fund or Emmanuel United Church Gifts and Memorial Fund would be greatly appreciated. Arrangements entrusted to Arthur Funeral Home - Barton & Kiteley Chapel (492 Wellington St. E. 705-759-2522). Please visit Arthur Funeral Home website obituaries to leave memories and condolences as a keepsake for the family.