Rosa Julia Christmas

Rosa Julia Ruiz Christmas was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico in 1950, one of a large and vibrant family. She moved to New York as a young girl where she met and married Charles Christmas. Together they had six children, Chuck, Samantha, Joanne, Mark, Claudette and Jessica. Rosa worked for the State of NY with mentally handicapped adults. The marriage ended eventually, with Rosa staying in NY for several more years.

Rosa moved to Florida in 2004, and Jessica followed in 2005. Never one to sit still, Rosa started working at Palm Beach Golf Center in Boca Raton, where she shared a warm relationship with her coworkers. She retired in 2016.

In addition to her children, Rosa opened her home to their cousins and friends, even as adults. In Florida, Jessica’s adult friends were welcome at Rosa’s holiday table and always had someone to talk to.

Rosa loved to talk about her children and grandchildren, Jackie, Mark Anthony, Christina, Anthony, Theresa, Victoria and Alistair. She visited them in greater New York as often as she could, and loved to spend time with them. She crafted blankets for her children and grandchildren so they would feel her love for them even from a distance. Her other hobbies included playing Candy Crush with her FaceBook friends, Latin music, Motown and classics from the 50s and 60s. Rosa followed local and national news. An avid reader, she enjoyed James Patterson, VC Andrews, Danielle Steele and many other authors.

Rosa enjoyed going to the beach with her local family, and the beautiful South Florida weather. She had an unexpected sense of humor, even cracking jokes when she was in the hospital, which was infrequent. When she was hospitalized briefly last summer, she told a visitor “I’m going to meet a doctor while I’m here.” When the visitor pointed out that doctors work lousy hours, Rosa responded “That’s OK. The money will keep me company,” startling the visitor into inappropriate laughter and getting a dirty look from the nurse.

Rosa had suffered many losses in her life, including the tragic deaths of her son Chuck, his wife Theresa and their daughter Victoria in 2006. She remained devout in her faith and devoted to her family.