Rosemary R. Richardson

Rosemary passed away peacefully on March 19, 2025, at the age of 93, after a long and courageous battle with Alzheimer’s.

Born Rosemary Iatomasi to her parents, Angela and Stephen, Rosemary was the fourth of six siblings. As a child, Rosemary helped her mom a lot, doing things around the house and for her siblings.

In her teens, Rosemary worked as a candy striper, which was the name for a nurse’s aide at the time. Care and empathy came easily for Rosemary—and so did no-nonsense. You’d do what she said and that was that, which complemented her caretaking perfectly in the hospital setting.

Another highlight of Rosemary’s young life was being invited to sing a short song on the radio. I love you, a bushel and a peck, a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck.

Rosemary met the love of her life, Tom Richardson, in 1947 at her place of work—a convenient store in the city. Tom would go in just to see Rosemary, and a lifelong romance was born. The two soon eloped, and that devotion would characterize their entire marriage. In fifty years, they spent only one or two nights apart, and that was how they liked it. Since 1998 when Tom passed, Rosemary has said, “I miss him. He drove me crazy sometimes, but you work through it. I miss him so much.”

Tom worked most of his adult life at car dealerships, while Rosemary worked twenty-five years at Burroughs, a local factory. After retiring from there, she took on a variety of part-time jobs. Together, Tom and Rosemary worked to provide a well-rounded stability for their seven children: Tommy, Dianne, Sharon, Christine, Brenda, John, and Rosemary (Rosie). Rosemary outlived two of her children; Brenda passed away in 1992 from a skydiving accident, and Tommy passed away in 2017 from a heart attack.

Rosemary and Tom raised their family in the city of Rochester, on Leighton Avenue and Weyl Street. Even though they didn’t have a lot of money, all their children agree that Rosemary and Tom showed their love in big and small ways, every day. Tom was like a kid at Christmas; he’d make the kids go to bed around five p.m. on Christmas Eve, then bring them downstairs a few hours later. As soon as the presents were under the tree, he wanted his kids to experience the joy and magic of the season. Rosemary was more practical, as moms tend to be, working tirelessly around the home to cook for and clean up after seven kids. But she laughed and smiled a lot, making sure her home was filled with love and joy.

Caretaking from her early years as a candy striper set Rosemary up for taking care of her daughter Dianne, who was born with hydrocephalus, a condition where a person is born with water on their brain. Having a child with disabilities comes with its unique challenges, but you’d see seventeen pigs fly before you heard Rosemary complain about it. She loved all of her children fiercely, and simply did what had to be done to best care for all of them. She and Tom made sure Dianne was able to go to school and experience fun around the house like the rest of the kids.

After Tom passed away, Rosemary continued caring for Dianne for more than ten years. Rosemary found ways to let Dianne help around the house. Rosemary cooked, Dianne did the dishes; Rosemary did the laundry, Dianne folded washcloths.

At 50 years old, Rosemary still didn’t have her driver’s license. Tom had tried to teach her three times by practicing in a cemetery, but to no avail. Her daughter Sharon, who was almost thirty years old at the time, offered to help. Within a few months, Sharon taught Rosemary how to drive and for twenty-five years Rosemary made her own way around town.

In 1986, Rosemary earned her high school diploma. She studied for the GED, took the test required by the state of New York, and felt incredible pride upon passing her first time around.

Rosemary held a special relationship with each one of her children. As adults, they’d “fight” over who got to sit next to her at the dinner table. She’d laugh heartily, then tell them with a smile to quit it and get to eating.

When Rosie would come to visit, they’d joke so much that Rosemary would laugh herself into hysterics, slapping her leg.

Rosemary’s time with Tommy was similar, as Tommy was known as the jokester of the family.

With John, Rosemary enjoyed her first and only time on an airplane when he and his family brought Rosemary down to Texas for Mother’s Day in 1999. They visited the stockyards, enjoyed their pool, and made a lot of special memories.

Before Brenda passed away, Rosemary and Tom watched her skydive, which was a passion of Brenda’s.

After being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in her early 70s, Rosemary moved Dianne into Monroe Community Hospital so her needs could be better tended to, and Rosemary began living with her daughter Christine. Rosemary and Dianne continued talking on the phone multiple times per day for more than a decade. Rosemary let Christine take over the cooking, but Rosemary insisted on helping fold washcloths, ripping paper towels in half, do the dishes, and walk the dog when Christine was at work. Rosemary spent her retirement and post-caretaker years watching Sister Act I and II, reading here and there, sneaking sugar-free candy from the bowl Christine left out, spending time with her children and grandchildren, watching Golden Girls, playing along with her favorite game shows—Family Feud, Wheel of Fortune, The Price is Right, and Let’s Make a Deal—and doing as many Large Print Word Searches as she could in a day.

Rosemary never hesitated to tell someone how beautiful they were, or how kind they were, or how wonderful she thought they were. She was a prayer warrior for as long as her mind and heart let her be. She welcomed anyone into her home and into her arms. And she laughed, easily and all the time. She had no tolerance for intolerance or meanness, and she’d let you know that.

In writing this obituary, it became clear that we know less about Rosemary than Rosemary knew about us before her mind faded from Alzheimer’s. She never forgot Tom or how much she loved and missed him, but her mind for most other things slowly drifted. Still, her answers to questions relating to herself were always short, even before the disease took over her memory. But Rosemary’s questions for others were always plentiful. Of course they were; that’s where she got the intel she needed to pray for the ones she loved.

Rosemary believed wholeheartedly in the Trinity, and her family has no doubt she’s dancing with Tom and walking with Jesus up in heaven.

Rosemary is predeceased by her father, Stephen Iatomasi; Mother, Angela (Mancini) Iatomasi; daughter Brenda Cacciato; son, Tommy Richardson; brothers, Patrick and Patsy Iatomasi; sisters, Jean Infantino and Dolores Griffo; and brothers-in-laws, Frank Griffo, Michael Infantino, and Steve Bleier.

Rosemary is survived by her sister, Theresa Bleier; sister-in-law, Pauline Iatomasi; daughters, Christine Pompili, Rosemary (Al) Parisi, Sharon Doell, and Dianne Richardson; son John (Lynda) Richardson; many nieces, nephews, cousins, grandchildren (7), and great-grandchildren (8).

Family will receive friends at New Comer Cremations & Funerals, 2636 Ridgeway Ave. Calling hours will be 10 a.m.-noon, Friday, April 11, 2025. A service will immediately follow at the funeral home. No graveside service will be held; however, for those wishing to accompany Rosemary to the site, family and friends will meet at the Dewey Ave. entrance of Holy Sepulcher following the Noon service.

Contributions may be made to Monroe Community Hospital Foundation in Rosemary’s honor.

To share a memory of Rosemary or leave a special message for family, visit the guest book below.