Rose Connolly, 93, passed away on March 22, 2021 at her home in Solomons, MD with her children singing her favorite hymn at her side.  She was born in 1927 to Italian immigrants, and grew up in New Jersey during the Great Depression.   She worked for Union Carbide Corporation for 19 years.  In 1962 she married Joseph Connolly, and the two moved to Virginia so that Joe could work for the Federal Government in Washington, DC.

Rose devoted her next thirteen years to raising their two children, Carol Ann and Charles.  She loved gardening and flower arranging, crafts, and ceramics.  She taught and modeled the values of thrift, service, and generosity.  Ever the volunteer, Rose applied her gardening and artistic skills in a variety of ways, ranging from serving as Vice President of the local Garden Club and making flower arrangements for the church altar through selling crafts to raise money for a new church. Rose’s children always got drafted into helping and spent many hours cutting felt, shaping bread-dough flowers, and gluing together pompon critters and banners.   Every parish they joined had a building fund, and over the course of forty years, Rose and Joe helped build four Catholic churches.

Once her children became teens, Rose decided it was time to broaden her horizons.  She volunteered for two years in the Flower Room at the White House and then was hired as an Executive Secretary, answering correspondence for Presidents Carter and Reagan.  She worked for a dozen years in the Department of the Army at the Pentagon, retiring in 1995.

In 2008, Rose and Joe moved to Solomons, MD for their retirement.  Unfortunately, Joe passed away just six months later.  Rose made the best of things and made many new friends over the years, participating in numerous trips and activities.

Rose always enjoyed traveling.  She traveled across the United States, visited Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean, and toured many countries in Europe.  A highlight for the entire family was a trip to Italy in 1999.

Like any good Italian, Rose took great pleasure in dining and in sharing food with others.  Family get-togethers always involved an abundance of food, and no one ever left the table hungry, nor left her home empty-handed!

Rose is survived by her two sisters and her children.  She was preceded in death by her husband, parents and brother.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated by Fr. Ken Gill at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church in Solomons, MD, at noon on Tuesday, March 30, 2021.  The funeral Mass will be live streamed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAUtVdZVMT0 for anyone who might not wish to attend in-person because of COVID-19.  A Celebration of Life and reception will be held at a later date when it is safe to do so.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Our Lady Star of the Sea Building Fund, Calvert Hospice, or the Asbury Foundation.