Rosie B. Williams

The first thing Rosie did after getting a job and leaving home at 18, was buy her family their first television. The act was the essence of her character: always kind, always caring.

Throughout her life, Rosie took her role as the oldest of 11 seriously. In tandem with the next oldest, her sister Marie, Rosie helped care for her younger siblings long after she'd left the nest and gotten married, because the nest hadn't always been kind.

At times, the family lived like nomads, moving from one undesirable St. Louis area to another. Rosie decided to make her life and the life of every one of her sisters and brothers better.

"She was always a presence in our lives," said Marie. "She had finesse; a worldliness about her. Rosie was a great person."

A BETTER LIFE

Rosie Bell Veal Williams, her mother's namesake, was born in St. Louis on March 26, 1941. She was the firstborn of 11 children of Rosie Bell Veal and Joseph Lechman Stone (whose name was believed to have originally been Josef Lachmann).

Her father was the son of Ukrainian immigrants; her mother a child of the segregated south. The two met while living in the then immigrant-rich area near downtown. The law forbade them to get married.

Despite their circumstances, Rosie Sr. was determined that her children would get the best education possible. She chose to send them to Catholic school and raised them in the Catholic faith. Rosie was baptized at Holy Guardian Angels Catholic Church.

After graduating from McKinley High School, Rosie married Lamar Williams; they were later divorced. She married and later divorced Robert Jordan. Along the way, she had two beautiful daughters, Madonna and Parahkiyah.

She earned an accounting degree from the University of Missouri St. Louis (she did so while working fulltime). It was her first step toward moving her family forward.

"My sister was smart, hardworking, goal oriented and family centered," said her sister Marilyn. And she was undeterred by the fact that the TV she bought for her family was stolen, never to be seen again.

Rosie simply persevered. She was always gainfully employed, from being a DJ in Huntsville, Alabama, to working at the YMCA and the Urban League. She later became the controller at Container Corporation of America near Philadelphia, before taking a job in Washington, D.C. city government. She built a beautiful home overlooking the Chesapeake Bay.

Never content to rest on her laurels, Rosie decided to go to law school while still working fulltime. She earned her law degree from Georgetown University in 1997.

She eventually returned to St. Louis. After getting her real estate broker's license, she agreed to manage some family-owned properties, including the Clara Apartments, a highrise in the Central West End.

Since January 11, 2010, she had been happily married to Ralph Milner.

GOOD TIMES

When Rosie Sr. went to live with her daughter Marilyn because of declining health, Rosie gladly joined in her mother's care. She was, after all, her mother's daughter. Like Rosie Sr., she loved to dance and dress up. She got plenty of opportunities when she and her sister Marilyn moved to Philadelphia in the 1980s. A favorite hotspot was the Scintillations Club.

On one occasion, Scintillations ran a promotional Playboy bunny contest; the winners would get free passes. Rosie donned a bowtie, bunny ears and stuck cotton balls on the back of her black pants. That caused a lively discussion with the guy at the door who was expecting something a little less homemade. Rosie insisted that the club didn't specify what kind of bunny. They got in free and won two full annual memberships to the hottest club in the Philadelphia area.

One of Rosie's greatest pleasures was traveling with family – and the Veals found any excuse to get together.

She was politically astute and just a bit radical. In the late 60s, she cut her long black hair short in solidarity with the Black Power Movement.

Perhaps her dedication to healthy living provided her with unbounding energy. She was a staunch nutritionist and eschewed all medications that she didn't deem "natural."

NEVER GOODBYE

Like all of Rosie Sr.'s children, over the years Rosie found herself repeating her mother's words. One of her favorites was "I'm not going to say goodbye."

Rosie died Thursday, March 17, 2022, of cancer in Florida. She was just 9 days shy of her 81st birthday. She and Ralph had recently begun living in Viera, Florida near her brothers Steven and Lionel and sister-in-law Pat. They split their time between Florida and their home in O'Fallon, Missouri.

To the end, Rosie remained proud, continuing to project the strength for which she was known. Her voice never betrayed her declining health.

After reluctantly acquiescing to using a wheelchair, she refused to have it in view. "Take that wheelchair and put it back in the bedroom," she would say when she reached her seat.

Rosie gained immortality as she listened to John 5:24: "For those who hear the word and believe the word, they shall not be judged but will cross over from death and have eternal life." She was preceded in death by her parents.

Rosie will be lovingly remembered and forever missed by her husband Ralph Milner; two daughters, Madonna Williams (James) Callery and Parahkiyah Baht Israel; two sisters and eight brothers, Marie Veal (John) Fultz, Joseph Veal, Johnny (Lynette) Veal, Lonnie (Song) Veal, Lionel (Patricia) Veal, Marilyn Veal Briscoe (Glen, deceased), Steven Veal, Angelo Veal, Antonio Veal and Kennedy (Minh) Veal; four grandchildren, Adia Love, Imani Harper, Aailyah Njeri and Jamad Callery; six great-grandchildren and Harry the dog.