Rosanne Elizabeth Harpe

Rosanne was born to Edith "Hillie" and Wilson Harpe in 1943 in Columbus, Georgia. Wilson's military career kept the family moving, and Rosanne spent three years of her childhood in Heidelberg, Germany before going on to graduate from high school in Savannah, Georgia. She attended Birmingham Southern, where she was the president of her A-O-Pi Sorority and achieved a Bachelor's Degree in Music. She later completed her Master's Degree in Social Work at the University of Alabama. 

Rosanne was blessed with a beautiful daughter, Hilary. After living briefly in Mississippi, they moved to Huntsville, AL where she could be near her parents. She called Huntsville home until just this last summer. She worked for the Department of Defense for 35 years as a Supervisory Management Analyst, achieving the civilian rank of GM14. Rosanne's work gave her and her family a second opportunity to live in Heidelberg, Germany from 1985 to 1990. 

Rosanne had many interests outside her work. She had a passion for traditional handicrafts, loving to knit, sew, embroider, and bead. She had a keen eye for color and pattern. Rosanne adorned her daughter's prom dress with a shimmery vine of sequins and beads and edged her wedding veil with tiny crystals. She read constantly, usually 2 to 3 books at a time, balancing an Alexander McCall-Smith novel with a history of the moon landing and Pride and Prejudice (again). She beautifully played piano and organ. She traveled extensively in Europe, learning German along the way and taking road trips to Andalucia, the south of France, and the Swiss Alps. She loved to give thoughtful gifts, and if you've been the beneficiary of one of her shopping sprees, there is nothing quite like that kind of fun.

Rosanne will be remembered for her kindness, formidable intelligence, and service to others. She was the friend sitting next to you while your loved one had surgery. Steady in a crisis and an excellent listener, she was the friend to call if you needed to talk. Rosanne was generous with her money, time, and energy, never happier than when she was helping others.  She cared lovingly for her mother, who lived to 98, enabling her to remain home, keep sewing, bake pound cakes, and see friends until her final days. Rosanne loved making everyone feel welcome in her home, hosting decades-long friends and complete strangers with equal enthusiasm. 

In her last season of life, she became grandmother to two grandchildren, Finn and Shay, a role she cherished. She devoted herself to them, moving to Greensboro this summer to become a regular part of their lives - the host of sleepovers, reader of bed-time stories, maker of contraband snacks, instructor of knitting arts, teller of family stories, and dryer of tears when the world was too much. 

She was preceded in death by her parents, losing her mother only two years ago. She is survived by her daughter, Hilary Harpe Lilja, her son-in-law, Patrick Lilja, and the two grandchildren, Finn Lilja and Shay Lilja of Greensboro, NC; her brother Wilson Harpe and niece Rosy Harpe of Chattanooga, TN; her nephew Wilson Harpe III, his wife Dani Harpe and their two children Hannah and Eleanor Harpe of New Braunfels,TX; her cousin Charlotte Stephenson of Kennesaw, GA; 12 other cousins and many nieces and nephews from her mother's large family whom she held dear; and cherished friends new and old across generations.