Born to Rose Grier and Raymond J. Howell in Pittston, PA.
What follows was written by Rosemary's son, Thomas Barnhart and shared with family and friends on December 30, 2015 at the Honan Funeral Home. The Rev. Mel Kawakami officiated.
Rosemary lived a remarkable life. Hers is truly a story of spirit and resilience.
From her first days on earth she showed a determination to survive. She was the youngest of 6 children from Pittston, Pennsylvania. Born premature, she was not expected to survive. Many years later her sisters would tell of how she was kept in cigar box and, in a time before incubators, placed in the oven at home for warmth. She defied the odds and survived.
But this was the depression and with a father killed (we think in the coal mines) and a mother unable to care for her children, the kids were split up among different orphanages. Rosemary's first childhood memories were of the orphanage and they were not pleasant.
Fortunately things would change. Still very young, she was adopted by the Eicholtzer family of Pleasant Mount, Pennsylvania. Her foster Mom and Dad loved her very much and raised her as their own. Growing up in a small town on a farm, these were some of the best years of her life. Later she often shared wonderful stories of life on the farm, the harvests, the Halloweens, the Christmases.
By the time Rosemary was in her mid teens her life would change again. Her natural family was coming back together and they wanted her to return. Back in Pittston the family was dirt poor. There was no inside toilet, only and outhouse. Rosemary's brothers would jump the moving coal trains and kick off the coal to later gather up along the track side. This was all in an effort to keep the furnace going. Rosemary was expected to keep the house in order and to care for her young niece. Her older sister was widowed (another coal mine accident) and living with the family. Rosemary was also expected to work, turning over her entire pay each week to her mother. Finishing high school was not an option.
When Rosemary was 17 she met her husband Harold. They both worked in the local factory bakery. When they decided to get married it was not well received by Rosemary's family. Rosemary was not even allowed back to the house to pick up her personal belongings. The couple decided to escape to Bridgeport, Connecticut to stay with Harold's brother with just $20 in their pockets. Of course even that trip would present challenges as there was a train wreck on the tracks ahead. Passengers had to walk along the tracks at night to the next station to board buses. Rosemary would later tell of walking quite a distance along the tracks in a light suit with no coat in the dead of winter.
Eventually the couple built a life in Bridgeport. Early days were a struggle but they made it. After a few years the children came, a daughter followed by a son. It wasn't until Sharon started kindergarten that it was discovered she had special needs. In the early sixties there was little known about special needs children. There were few resources and even more public ignorance. It would take a lifetime of devotion and love but no one could have done a better job raising Sharon than Rosemary.
Rosemary will be remembered by her family as a loving wife and mother, as a favorite aunt and as a wonderful grandmother. She had a zest for life and a wonderful personality, despite the challenges of her life. She always tried to make a personal connection with people. Those that she got to know well would become loyal friends for life, and she had many. She would do anything for family and friends, and they for her.
In her final years she struggled with her health but few knew how much, as she always downplayed her own pain. She was too busy caring for others. But if someone could overcome cancer and heart disease by sheer determination and will power, Rosemary did. But she knew she was in borrowed time. She secretly shared that she wanted to live long enough to see her granddaughter graduate high school. She did that and more, visiting Nikki at college and proudly congratulating her on achieving her college goal.
-------------------------------------------------
And on a personal note from her nephew Jimmy and his wife, Mercedes. We'll miss her sense of humor. She would send us cards on our birthdays, Christmas and sometimes just to say she was thinking of us. We'll miss her dearly.
What follows was written by Rosemary's son, Thomas Barnhart and shared with family and friends on December 30, 2015 at the Honan Funeral Home. The Rev. Mel Kawakami officiated.
Rosemary lived a remarkable life. Hers is truly a story of spirit and resilience.
From her first days on earth she showed a determination to survive. She was the youngest of 6 children from Pittston, Pennsylvania. Born premature, she was not expected to survive. Many years later her sisters would tell of how she was kept in cigar box and, in a time before incubators, placed in the oven at home for warmth. She defied the odds and survived.
But this was the depression and with a father killed (we think in the coal mines) and a mother unable to care for her children, the kids were split up among different orphanages. Rosemary's first childhood memories were of the orphanage and they were not pleasant.
Fortunately things would change. Still very young, she was adopted by the Eicholtzer family of Pleasant Mount, Pennsylvania. Her foster Mom and Dad loved her very much and raised her as their own. Growing up in a small town on a farm, these were some of the best years of her life. Later she often shared wonderful stories of life on the farm, the harvests, the Halloweens, the Christmases.
By the time Rosemary was in her mid teens her life would change again. Her natural family was coming back together and they wanted her to return. Back in Pittston the family was dirt poor. There was no inside toilet, only and outhouse. Rosemary's brothers would jump the moving coal trains and kick off the coal to later gather up along the track side. This was all in an effort to keep the furnace going. Rosemary was expected to keep the house in order and to care for her young niece. Her older sister was widowed (another coal mine accident) and living with the family. Rosemary was also expected to work, turning over her entire pay each week to her mother. Finishing high school was not an option.
When Rosemary was 17 she met her husband Harold. They both worked in the local factory bakery. When they decided to get married it was not well received by Rosemary's family. Rosemary was not even allowed back to the house to pick up her personal belongings. The couple decided to escape to Bridgeport, Connecticut to stay with Harold's brother with just $20 in their pockets. Of course even that trip would present challenges as there was a train wreck on the tracks ahead. Passengers had to walk along the tracks at night to the next station to board buses. Rosemary would later tell of walking quite a distance along the tracks in a light suit with no coat in the dead of winter.
Eventually the couple built a life in Bridgeport. Early days were a struggle but they made it. After a few years the children came, a daughter followed by a son. It wasn't until Sharon started kindergarten that it was discovered she had special needs. In the early sixties there was little known about special needs children. There were few resources and even more public ignorance. It would take a lifetime of devotion and love but no one could have done a better job raising Sharon than Rosemary.
Rosemary will be remembered by her family as a loving wife and mother, as a favorite aunt and as a wonderful grandmother. She had a zest for life and a wonderful personality, despite the challenges of her life. She always tried to make a personal connection with people. Those that she got to know well would become loyal friends for life, and she had many. She would do anything for family and friends, and they for her.
In her final years she struggled with her health but few knew how much, as she always downplayed her own pain. She was too busy caring for others. But if someone could overcome cancer and heart disease by sheer determination and will power, Rosemary did. But she knew she was in borrowed time. She secretly shared that she wanted to live long enough to see her granddaughter graduate high school. She did that and more, visiting Nikki at college and proudly congratulating her on achieving her college goal.
-------------------------------------------------
And on a personal note from her nephew Jimmy and his wife, Mercedes. We'll miss her sense of humor. She would send us cards on our birthdays, Christmas and sometimes just to say she was thinking of us. We'll miss her dearly.
Born to Rose Grier and Raymond J. Howell in Pittston, PA.
What follows was written by Rosemary's son, Thomas Barnhart and shared with family and friends on December 30, 2015 at the Honan Funeral Home. The Rev. Mel Kawakami officiated.
Rosemary lived a remarkable life. Hers is truly a story of spirit and resilience.
From her first days on earth she showed a determination to survive. She was the youngest of 6 children from Pittston, Pennsylvania. Born premature, she was not expected to survive. Many years later her sisters would tell of how she was kept in cigar box and, in a time before incubators, placed in the oven at home for warmth. She defied the odds and survived.
But this was the depression and with a father killed (we think in the coal mines) and a mother unable to care for her children, the kids were split up among different orphanages. Rosemary's first childhood memories were of the orphanage and they were not pleasant.
Fortunately things would change. Still very young, she was adopted by the Eicholtzer family of Pleasant Mount, Pennsylvania. Her foster Mom and Dad loved her very much and raised her as their own. Growing up in a small town on a farm, these were some of the best years of her life. Later she often shared wonderful stories of life on the farm, the harvests, the Halloweens, the Christmases.
By the time Rosemary was in her mid teens her life would change again. Her natural family was coming back together and they wanted her to return. Back in Pittston the family was dirt poor. There was no inside toilet, only and outhouse. Rosemary's brothers would jump the moving coal trains and kick off the coal to later gather up along the track side. This was all in an effort to keep the furnace going. Rosemary was expected to keep the house in order and to care for her young niece. Her older sister was widowed (another coal mine accident) and living with the family. Rosemary was also expected to work, turning over her entire pay each week to her mother. Finishing high school was not an option.
When Rosemary was 17 she met her husband Harold. They both worked in the local factory bakery. When they decided to get married it was not well received by Rosemary's family. Rosemary was not even allowed back to the house to pick up her personal belongings. The couple decided to escape to Bridgeport, Connecticut to stay with Harold's brother with just $20 in their pockets. Of course even that trip would present challenges as there was a train wreck on the tracks ahead. Passengers had to walk along the tracks at night to the next station to board buses. Rosemary would later tell of walking quite a distance along the tracks in a light suit with no coat in the dead of winter.
Eventually the couple built a life in Bridgeport. Early days were a struggle but they made it. After a few years the children came, a daughter followed by a son. It wasn't until Sharon started kindergarten that it was discovered she had special needs. In the early sixties there was little known about special needs children. There were few resources and even more public ignorance. It would take a lifetime of devotion and love but no one could have done a better job raising Sharon than Rosemary.
Rosemary will be remembered by her family as a loving wife and mother, as a favorite aunt and as a wonderful grandmother. She had a zest for life and a wonderful personality, despite the challenges of her life. She always tried to make a personal connection with people. Those that she got to know well would become loyal friends for life, and she had many. She would do anything for family and friends, and they for her.
In her final years she struggled with her health but few knew how much, as she always downplayed her own pain. She was too busy caring for others. But if someone could overcome cancer and heart disease by sheer determination and will power, Rosemary did. But she knew she was in borrowed time. She secretly shared that she wanted to live long enough to see her granddaughter graduate high school. She did that and more, visiting Nikki at college and proudly congratulating her on achieving her college goal.
-------------------------------------------------
And on a personal note from her nephew Jimmy and his wife, Mercedes. We'll miss her sense of humor. She would send us cards on our birthdays, Christmas and sometimes just to say she was thinking of us. We'll miss her dearly.
What follows was written by Rosemary's son, Thomas Barnhart and shared with family and friends on December 30, 2015 at the Honan Funeral Home. The Rev. Mel Kawakami officiated.
Rosemary lived a remarkable life. Hers is truly a story of spirit and resilience.
From her first days on earth she showed a determination to survive. She was the youngest of 6 children from Pittston, Pennsylvania. Born premature, she was not expected to survive. Many years later her sisters would tell of how she was kept in cigar box and, in a time before incubators, placed in the oven at home for warmth. She defied the odds and survived.
But this was the depression and with a father killed (we think in the coal mines) and a mother unable to care for her children, the kids were split up among different orphanages. Rosemary's first childhood memories were of the orphanage and they were not pleasant.
Fortunately things would change. Still very young, she was adopted by the Eicholtzer family of Pleasant Mount, Pennsylvania. Her foster Mom and Dad loved her very much and raised her as their own. Growing up in a small town on a farm, these were some of the best years of her life. Later she often shared wonderful stories of life on the farm, the harvests, the Halloweens, the Christmases.
By the time Rosemary was in her mid teens her life would change again. Her natural family was coming back together and they wanted her to return. Back in Pittston the family was dirt poor. There was no inside toilet, only and outhouse. Rosemary's brothers would jump the moving coal trains and kick off the coal to later gather up along the track side. This was all in an effort to keep the furnace going. Rosemary was expected to keep the house in order and to care for her young niece. Her older sister was widowed (another coal mine accident) and living with the family. Rosemary was also expected to work, turning over her entire pay each week to her mother. Finishing high school was not an option.
When Rosemary was 17 she met her husband Harold. They both worked in the local factory bakery. When they decided to get married it was not well received by Rosemary's family. Rosemary was not even allowed back to the house to pick up her personal belongings. The couple decided to escape to Bridgeport, Connecticut to stay with Harold's brother with just $20 in their pockets. Of course even that trip would present challenges as there was a train wreck on the tracks ahead. Passengers had to walk along the tracks at night to the next station to board buses. Rosemary would later tell of walking quite a distance along the tracks in a light suit with no coat in the dead of winter.
Eventually the couple built a life in Bridgeport. Early days were a struggle but they made it. After a few years the children came, a daughter followed by a son. It wasn't until Sharon started kindergarten that it was discovered she had special needs. In the early sixties there was little known about special needs children. There were few resources and even more public ignorance. It would take a lifetime of devotion and love but no one could have done a better job raising Sharon than Rosemary.
Rosemary will be remembered by her family as a loving wife and mother, as a favorite aunt and as a wonderful grandmother. She had a zest for life and a wonderful personality, despite the challenges of her life. She always tried to make a personal connection with people. Those that she got to know well would become loyal friends for life, and she had many. She would do anything for family and friends, and they for her.
In her final years she struggled with her health but few knew how much, as she always downplayed her own pain. She was too busy caring for others. But if someone could overcome cancer and heart disease by sheer determination and will power, Rosemary did. But she knew she was in borrowed time. She secretly shared that she wanted to live long enough to see her granddaughter graduate high school. She did that and more, visiting Nikki at college and proudly congratulating her on achieving her college goal.
-------------------------------------------------
And on a personal note from her nephew Jimmy and his wife, Mercedes. We'll miss her sense of humor. She would send us cards on our birthdays, Christmas and sometimes just to say she was thinking of us. We'll miss her dearly.
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