Rosemary Fritz

Born in Brooklyn, NY on April 2, 1942 Departed on June 12, 2018 and resided in Gallatin, TN Celebration of Life Mass: Our Lady of The Lake Catholic ChurchSaturday June 23, 2018 11:00am to 12:00pmVisitation: Our Lady of The Lake Catholic ChurchSaturday June 23, 2018 10:00am to 11:00am

Rosemary Harkin Fritz
April 2, 1942 - June 12, 2018

Rosemary Harkin Fritz died at the age of 76 on June 12, 2018 in Hendersonville, Tennessee after a long battle with heart disease. In her last days, she said she was only sad that she wouldn't have more time with her precious grandchildren.

Rosemary was born April 2, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York to Irish immigrant parents William and Rose (Byrne) Harkin. Rosemary grew up playing dolls on the fire escape of their apartment building and chasing her brothers in the Brooklyn Museum. She loved everything about New York City, from the subways and tall buildings to the beach at Coney Island. It was there, at a neighbor's house, that she developed her great affection for all things Italian including the food, the stories, and the fun of a big, loud family. While growing up in Brooklyn, she attended St. Theresa of Avila for grade school and St. Angela Hall Academy for high school. Rosemary said she didn't really like school and preferred watching Johnny Carson than studying; however, her father insisted that she attend college. She graduated with a baccalaureate degree in sociology from Saint Joseph's College for Women in 1963. While in college, she worked at Abraham and Strauss Department Store and developed a love of fashion. Rosemary always said to never underestimate how good a nice haircut and a great pair of shoes could make one feel. After school, she loved working as a secretary in the city.

Rosemary's life story probably would have remained in New York City, except for a trip to Fort Knox, Kentucky to visit friends. During that visit, she met Allan J. Fritz in the tankers' lounge. Not only was he not Irish, but he also was an officer in the United States Army. Despite reservations from her parents, they were married in 1967 and started a lifelong adventure of packing, moving, and traveling. Rosemary always said the life of an Army wife was hard. It was heartbreaking to send her husband to the Vietnam War and to watch his struggles when he came back. Their daughter Elizabeth was born in 1972 while they were living in Kansas. Their son Anthony was born in Germany in 1976. Living away from her family was hard, but Rosemary also felt lucky to travel and meet friends while living in numerous states as well as Germany and France.

During all the moves, she dedicated herself to raising their two children, Elizabeth and Tony. She spent countless hours listening to all of their ideas and stories, forcing them to read, banning Twinkies and soda, adding wheat germ to their cereal, helping with homework, and teaching, through her love and actions, how to be a good parent. She encouraged every hobby and dream they had, from skateboarding and drawing comic strips to photography and computer science to nursing. Rosemary instilled wisdom such as "life is too short to eat fast food and read trashy romance novels" and "always brush your teeth and go regularly to the dentist or you might lose your teeth." She firmly believed that every lost thing could be found if one prayed to St. Anthony, her favorite saint, and that Windex and paper towels could clean anything. She said that one of the most important things in life is a sense of humor and she shared a lot of happy laughs with her children while they were growing up.

In 1982, Rosemary and her family moved to Paris, France in what would be their biggest adventure. They had lived in the countryside in Germany when Elizabeth and Tony were young and travel was more challenging then. Paris was something different. She loved city life, taking the metro, exploring the markets, visiting museums, and walking all around the beautiful city. The family also explored all around Europe. She went swimming in the Dead Sea on a trip to Israel. She took a train trip with her husband on the Orient Express. She had always loved good food and cooking, but in Paris, she learned to create more elaborate meals and took a cooking class with Irish chef John Desmond. She entertained her husband's coworkers, family, and friends in their beautiful apartment. And, she learned to wear scarves. Even later in life, she always loved her scarves.

In 1988, Rosemary and Allan settled in Northern Virginia, just outside of Washington, DC and Rosemary decided to go back to work. She worked as an administrative assistant at Tandy Corporation in their district office and then at USPA/IRA, now First Command Financial Planning. Her final job before retirement was as administrative assistant to the project executive for the building of the World War II Memorial. She loved that job and was so proud to have played a role in erecting a monument to the "greatest generation." In 2014, after both Rosemary and her husband had retired, they moved to Gallatin, Tennessee to be closer to their daughter Elizabeth and her family. Even though her years in Gallatin included a lot of health issues for her and her husband, she loved spending time with her grandchildren making frequent Playdoh creations, coloring numerous pictures, and judging their Chopped food competitions. She loved decorating and redecorating their house, watching the Cooking Channel and Fox Business, worrying about the stock market, and reading.

She is survived by her husband Allan J. Fritz; her daughter Elizabeth and husband Kevin Banks of Hendersonville, Tennessee, their children Abigail and Amelia Banks; and son Anthony and his wife Jessica Fritz of Salem, Massachusetts, and their children Johanna and Liam Fritz. She is also survived by her brother Donald W. Harkin and his life partner Kathleen Marosits of Pompton Lakes, New Jersey as well as numerous other friends and family members. She is predeceased by her brother Peter J. Harkin and her parents.

A funeral mass will be held at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Hendersonville, Tennessee on Saturday June 23, 2018 at 11 am. Visitation with the family will be held from 10 to 11 am at the church. An additional mass and burial service will be held in northern New Jersey at a later time.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Catholic Charities, the American Heart Association, or the Wounded Warrior Project.