Rosemary Dunne Hardart Dobbin. Rosie Dunne was born Jan 30 1929 in San Diego. She was the second of five daughters of Francis P. Dunne and Rosemary Byrne Dunne. The Dunnes traveled the country following the thoroughbred track season. Francis was a handicapper and eventually a NYRA steward. The many moves helped the girls hone their formidable social skills and forged a close bond between the girls. The family lived in Chicago, California, Florida, New York and New Orleans. During WWII Francis worked in Mexico while the girls went to school in New Orleans. They later settled in Great Neck NY and the daughters all went to Great Neck High School and on to Manhattanville College, at that time in Manhattan.
Rosie graduated from Manhattanville in 1950 with a degree in English literature and went to work for Steuben in New York City. She met Thomas Hardart through friends and married him in 1957. Rosie and Tom moved to Bronxville NY in 1959 where they raised their six children and made lifelong close friends. Rosie was a voracious reader, a consummate hostess, an astute investor, a great cook and a talented bridge player. When she wasn’t teaching a Great Books class or leading a Girl Scout troop, she was reading about Eleanor of Aquitaine, taking art history classes at the Metropolitan Museum, readying a presentation for her book club or choosing stocks for the Hi-Lo Investment Club. She was devout in her Catholic faith and was a Dame of Malta and a Dame of the Holy Sepulchre.
Tom died of cancer in 1988. Rosie was his strong advocate and staunchly supported him through his illness and her six kids with the loss of their father.
Lightning struck again for Rosie when she and widower Robert Dobbin began dating in 1996 and married in 1997. Rosie and Bob had 25 years together during which they traveled extensively with family and friends and saw countless movies and plays. They were a blessing to each other.
Rosie will be missed for her upbeat sense of humor, her sense of style, generosity, pragmatism and optimism and her unfailingly spot on advice. She had a great ability to make everyone around her feel comfortable and she was a confidante and second mom to many close friends.
Rosie is predeceased by her husband Tom, parents Francis and Rosemary, sisters Patricia Walker and Sheila Feitelberg. She is survived by her husband Bob, her sisters Kathleen Van Bloem and Moira Desloge and her children Madeline (Kirk) Saville, Rosemary (James) Wylie, Anne Hardart (Thomas Newman), Thomas Hardart (Virginia Shore), Paul Hardart and Marcella Hardart (Matthew Wickline). She is also survived by her 15 grandchildren, Nicholas Wylie, William Wylie, Clare Wylie Mathers (Nick), Jane Wickline, Joseph Wickline, Thomas Wickline, Grace Saville, Alex Saville, Evelyn Hardart, Richard Hardart, Frances Hardart and Claire Hardart, Alice Newman, Rosemary Newman and Elizabeth Newman, and great granddaughter Megan Rose Mathers, and Dobbin stepchildren Kathleen Dobbin (Scott Parmelee), Sarah Footh (James) and Courtney Robin (Chris).
. Visiting hours at Fred H McGrath funeral home Bronxville 5 pm – 8 pm Tues 5/31 and funeral Wed 6/1 9:45 at St. Joseph Church Bronxville. The funeral will be live streamed at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Church-of-St-Joseph-Bronxville-New-York/952180828172336.
Contributions in lieu of flowers can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or Catholic Charities.
Condolence(1)-
Ron and Sharon Oberleitner says
May 30, 2022 at 4:43 pmYour Mom was a beautiful person inside and out;, you and your family are in our mind and prayers. We are very sorry for your loss.