Rosita del Smith, known as Rosie's Obituary
Born in Guatemala on August 15, 1921 to parents Dario De Leon & Elvira Grimaldi, Rosie was one of 5 siblings, growing up on a farm. She grew up to become a teacher in Guatemala, until she came to the United States in the 1940s in search of a better life. Here she started as a photographer and lived in various parts of San Francisco. When she met Joseph, she was working as an elderly care giver and living on Lombard Street. They married on July 14, 1995, and she moved in with him in his home in Daly City.Rosie was such a wonderful wife to Joseph for the past 23 years. He absolutely loved her, and everything about her. Joseph loved her companionship, loved to garden with her, loved the way she always took care of him, & cooked his favorite meal of pork chops with mushroom gravy. When he finally convinced her to retire from working as a caregiver in her 80s, they spent even more time traveling and being involved in various organizations. They traveled together to Hawaii (their favorite place), Cancun, Florida, Virginia, Washington DC, Niagara Falls, Texas, Canada, Guatemala, San Diego, Long Beach, Palm Springs, Vegas, Reno, and many more places. He will always love her and miss her.She was known by everyone as being such a kind person, always putting other people first. She was spunky, and always full of life. Besides being an amazing wife, she was also an amazing grandma and great grandma. She especially loved seeing her great grandchildren (Dylan, Maddie, and Andrew) and talking about them all the time. When she was home, she loved to watch Family Feud, listen to Spanish Eyes, read, crochet, and color. She liked chocolate ice cream and champagne. And this lady loved to gamble in Reno and Vegas. She loved being in a casino as a high roller on those penny slots. On one of her trips to Vegas, she won the penny slot jackpot of $720!She was so full of life, the “grannie with spunk”, and never gave up on anything. Over 2 years ago, Rosie had a stroke that took away her ability to walk and do things on her own, and landed her in assisted living, eventually in hospice care. But that didn’t stop her from living & demanding chocolate ice cream every day. She passed away on August 17th, just 2 days after her 97th birthday. She fought to the very end because that was her way. She will be greatly missed by family & friends. She is survived by Joseph, her husband of 23 years; Delia, her sister; Pauline, her stepdaughter; Erica and Gregory, her grandchildren; Dylan, Maddie, and Andrew, her great-grandchildren; Yolly, Otto, Rebecca, Vickie, and many more nieces & nephews. She joins her parents (Dario & Elvira), her siblings (Jose, Juanita, Zaida), and many friends in heaven.Services will be held on Friday, August 24, at 11 AM at Skylawn Memorial Park.
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