Rosemarie was born on February 9, 1935, in Manteca, California, to Robert Stadler and Juliana (“Julia”) Dunst Stadler, who immigrated to the United States from Switzerland and Austria. She was the eighth of eleven children in a dairy-farm family.
In 1940, Rosemarie moved with her family from Manteca to the family dairy farm in Oakdale, California. Growing up in a large Catholic family, she learned the values of hard work, faith, responsibility, and devotion to family that remained with her throughout her life. She attended Oakdale schools, graduated from Oakdale High School, and as a young woman attended St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Oakdale, where faith and family were important parts of her upbringing.
While living in Oakdale, Rosemarie met Carl Swain in 1958. Their friendship blossomed into a lifelong love, and they were married on August 14, 1960. Together they built a life centered on love, commitment, and family.
Rosemarie was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She cherished time spent with family and maintained close relationships with her brothers and sisters throughout her life. She treasured family gatherings, lifelong friendships, and took great pride in her Stadler heritage. An avid gardener, Rosemarie especially enjoyed tending her garden and took great pride in her annual vegetable crop. She was also known for sharing her love of persimmons, introducing many family members and friends to the fruit, especially through her homemade persimmon cookies.
She was also a loyal supporter of Fresno State athletics and especially enjoyed attending Fresno State football games and cheering on the Bulldogs. In quieter moments, she enjoyed reading Western fiction and listening to the music of George Strait.
Those who knew her will remember her kindness, warmth, quiet strength, and generous spirit.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Julia Stadler; her husband, Carl Swain; and her siblings Rev. Robert G. Stadler, Joseph Edward Stadler, Elizabeth Brichetto, John James Stadler, Marianne Orvis, Josephine Stadler, and Caroline Baley.
Rosemarie is survived by her children, Sue Parkinson (Curt), Mike Swain (Albert), and Tim Swain (Jenn); seven grandchildren; and twelve great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her siblings Carl Stadler (Margaret), Barbara Gookin (Ed), and Catherine “Kate” Leiva, along with a large extended family of nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, and dear friends.
Rosemarie will be remembered for her deep love of family, her enduring faith, and the kindness she extended to everyone she met. Her legacy lives on in the many lives she touched and in the generations of family who will forever cherish her memory.
Services will be held on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at The Shrine of Saint Therese, 855 E. Floradora Avenue, Fresno, CA 93728. Interment will follow at Clovis Cemetery District, 305 N. Villa Avenue, Clovis, CA 93612.
Remembrances may be made in Rosemarie’s name to Hinds Hospice LifeCare, 2490 W. Shaw Avenue, Suite 101, Fresno, CA 93711 or The Bulldog Foundation Football Fund for Excellence at https://gobulldogs.evenue.net/give.
May she rest in peace.
