Rosemary Irrgang Beall

Rosemary Irrgang Beall passed away in Houston TX on the 23rd of December 2015, following a brief illness. Born in Cleveland Ohio on the 26th of December 1936, she was the daughter of William Irrgang and Mildred Klapka Irrgang, both now deceased. She graduated from Laurel School in Shaker Heights OH and Lake Erie College in Painesville OH, and she also attended graduate school at Columbia University. As a young woman, she enjoyed being an occasional visitor to the Zeta Psi fraternity house at Williams College.

She briefly resided in New York City, then Silver Spring MD, and has been a long-time resident of Houston. She married twice, first to Jack Beall Jr. and then to John O’Rourke, both now deceased. Although “Rosie” had no children of her own, she treated her sister Dorothy’s children (Chris and Katherine) as if they were hers also. They have always adored her — their real-life “Auntie Mame” — and have called her “RoRo” (an endearment she loved) from very early childhood.

Rosie was an extremely generous, loving family member who was always willing to help people whenever needed. She had great style and panache, enjoyed dressing elegantly and traveling, and lent spirited animation to every family gathering. RoRo’s uncannily detailed memories made her the valued family historian, always ready with a fact or humorous anecdote. You couldn’t go anywhere without her. Years ago, she took many fun-filled jaunts around the east coast region with her mother-in-law, Bonita W. Beall, and later shared a memorable odyssey around much of the country in a Toyota minivan with Dorothy and the young kids. She accompanied her father on many business trips, principally to London and Paris, staying at legendary hotels.

Rosie was a serial dachshund lover, the owner of quite a few “duckles” as she called them, whom she pampered in every way. She also had a love and fascination for all things “penguin”. She was an avid reader, astute about the world and how people behave. Her large collection of DVD classics, many based on books she had read, kept her entertained in her later years. As just one example of her appreciation of beautiful things, her home always contained gorgeous exotic floral arrangements, which she also lavished on her family and friends. Rosie was a remarkable person in so many ways, and will always be greatly missed by all of us, enormously thankful for her life.

Rosemary is survived by her sister Dorothy I. Beall of Houston; brothers-in-law David S. Beall of Houston (Dorothy’s spouse), Gordon W. Beall of Bethesda MD, and Alan P. Beall of Mobile AL; nephew Christopher S. Beall of Seattle WA (spouse Erin A. Beall); niece Katherine Beall Kingsbury of Durham NC (spouse Ryan S. Kingsbury); stepson Thomas O’Rourke of Millersville MD (spouse Sue O’Rourke); and step grandchildren Bridget Ryan of Arlington VA, Coleen O’Rourke of Bozeman MT, and Sean O’Rourke of Shanghai China.

A service celebrating Rosie’s life will be held at three o’clock in the afternoon on Saturday the 16th of January 2016, in the Jasek Chapel of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Dr. in Houston. Immediately following all are invited to greet the family during a reception to be held in the adjacent grand foyer.

Burial will be held at a later date in the family plot at Knollwood Cemetery, 1678 SOM Center Rd., Mayfield Heights OH.

If desired, memorial contributions may be made in Rosemary’s memory to Dachshund Rescue of Houston, PO Box 580, Friendswood, TX 77549, online at www.dachshundrescueofhouston.org; or to Laurel School, One Lyman Circle, Shaker Heights, OH 44122, online at www.laurelschool.org .