Rosemary H. Linsley

Rosemary H Linsley, of Upper Saint Clair, PA. Having lived a remarkable life spanning more than 102 years — 102.5 to be exact — Rosemary Houlihan Linsley decided it was time to take the hand of the angel and cross the threshold to join her husband Louis "Dutch" Linsley, her two sisters, Helen H. Aikman and Dorothy Foster Crow, along with numerous friends, whose passing preceded her own.
Rosemary's arrival in the spirit world was surely met with rousing applause and celebration, along with the question, "What took you so long?"
The oldest daughter of Rose McCrory Houlihan and Charles F. Houlihan, Rosemary was born July 1st, 1915, in Homewood, Pittsburgh. She graduated from Carnegie Tech as a dietition and held positions at the French Hospital in New York City, later at the Woodville Home in Pittsburgh.
A life spanning more than 102 years is truly remarkable, but no one was more astonished than Rosemary. For those who knew her, they would agree three key qualities supported Rosemary's longevity.
First, her faith. Rosemary was a devoted Catholic committed to a spiritual life whose support carried her through the most tumultuous periods in human history. Faith in the Divine gave Rosemary a remarkable sense of optimism. Joy was the outcome and the reason so many relatives and friends savored the time they spent with Rosemary at gatherings in her Mount Lebanon home.
Second, intellectual curiosity. Rosemary was a voracious reader. Along with keeping up with world events by reading the Pittsburgh Gazette and Sunday edition of the New York Times,
Rosemary had a particular interest in biographies of the great minds whose genius transformed the world. She delighted in sharing those stories and in the stimulating conversations that grew out of them.
Third, commitment to family and friends. Rosemary had a rich social life that included hosting family for holiday feasts punctuated by jokes and laughter. Rosemary loved people and was deeply interested in their lives. As a result, she was committed to regular gatherings, phone calls and letters with an extensive network of friends near and far. Although Rosemary grieved the passing of her husband, sisters, and close friends, she forged ahead, fueled by that remarkable sense of optimism and curiosity, to make new friends. In fact, at her assisted living community, Rosemary was one of the risqué senior-citizen Calendar Girls.
Spiritual devotion, intellectual curiosity and stimulating social lives, along with so many other qualities, burn bright in the hearts of the children of whom she was so proud: Thomas Linsley, Rosanne L. Jalbert, Louis W. Linsley, Jr., and Lynn L. Ezell.
That inheritance also burns bright in the hearts of eight very smart, very good-looking, very vivacious grandchildren, along with the seven great-grandchildren they are raising in the unwavering light of Rosemary's legacy.
Rosemary's no longer here, but she's not far. Friends welcome Friday 5-7pm, Freyvogel-Slater Funeral Directors (412-835-1860) 112 Fort Couch Rd, Bethel Park (Opposite Macy's South Hills Village). Mass of Christian Burial 10:00am Saturday in St Thomas More Church.