ROSALIE DEE GRAFTON CLARK July 23, 1942 – February 13, 2019 Rosalie Dee Grafton Clark passed away suddenly on the eve of Valentine’s Day. As a fourth generation Orange County resident, she thrived on long-established friendships, especially with cousin Susan Roper, sister-in-law Mae Gugino, fellow traveller Margy Plum, and many others, but that didn’t keep her from chatting-up strangers on the street, or in the grocery store or while standing in line at the post office. She could be counted on for cheerful words, a warm smile and, if you proposed lunch or dinner at Pollie’s Pies, she sometimes ate dessert first.
Never one to blow through an entire week’s grocery money in one go, Rosalie enjoyed regular trips with her cousins and girlfriends to the casinos of Southern California. She had an unbreakable bond with older sister Molly Doughty, each insisting that their mother, Virginia Wade, loved them best. Rosalie’s grandson hated driving her truck with the license plate, “I [Heart] knits,” because it was a magnet for older women.
But the appeal of her truck and her lovingly knitted sweaters proved too great to resist. Once a year Rosalie put out ten dollars to play in her nephew’s invitation only Baker’s Dozen Cribbage Tournament. She was delighted to be the only woman and by far the oldest, and, despite usually bouncing out after the first round, she came back every year for the camaraderie and gamesmanship.
To these boys, along with Tom, Cathy, Corine and Steve Doughty, Taylor and Deana Grafton, and Jennifer, Mike and Lisa Roper, Rosalie was always their beloved “Aunt Rosie”. In addition to an insatiable drive for fun, Rosalie was very organized and meticulous about her affairs, relying on the skills and knowledge she acquired while working over thirty years in the title insurance business. Rosalie gave generously of her time to Garden Grove Historical Society.
She made frequent donations of household items that she couldn’t resist buying back during their semi-annual Barn Sales. The oldest instructor to teach aqua aerobics at LA Fitness, Rosalie tried to retire several times, even taking extended holidays to Egypt and Europe, but they refused to let her go. Back at home, she managed to coerce other residents of Palmyra Apartments into weekly pool sessions by offering coffee after work outs.
She loved a good British crime drama, Inspector Morose and Midsomer Murders among her favourites, and she always had a book or two on the go. Bingo, Bunco, Tuesday Afternoon Club, Auld Lang Zyne, Women’s Club of Orange, and Garden Grove High School Alumni Association we’re her other passions, second only to family. Rosalie adored and was immensely proud of her three adult children: C. Clifton Cherry, Cynthia C.Huijgens and Jeffrey T. Cherry, and her eight grandchildren: Alison, Briana, Candace and Danielle Cherry, Gabriel Young and Eamon Huijgens, Alexis and JT Cherry.
Cremation services have been provided by Brown Colonial Mortuary. Per Rosalie’s wishes, her ashes will be taken to Hawaii and laid to rest on a coffee plantation owned by her longtime friend Cherry Bucholz. Rosalie’s children would like to invite friends, colleagues and acquaintances to a drop-in, open house style celebration on Saturday, March 2, 2019, 4:00 – 6:30 pm, The Palmyra Apartments, 301 S. Glassell Street, Orange, CA.
If you care to share a memory, you are welcome to do so. Anyone wishing to make a donation, please direct it to either Garden Grove Historical Society or Garden Grove High School Alumni Association Scholarships.
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