Rosemary Patricia Morris, nee McMorrow, 92, of Brooklyn, NY, passed away at her home in Heritage Village, Southbury, CT on October 3, 2012 . Born in Brooklyn on May 18, 1920 (the same day as Pope John Paul II, she would quip), Rosemary was the devoted only child of Patrick Gerald McMorrow, of Leitrim, Ireland, and Eleanor Adelaide "Nelly" Kearney of Brooklyn, New York, who passed away when Rosemary was nine years old. She grew up in Brooklyn and attended grammar school at St. Patrick's and high school at Bishop McDonnell's in Brooklyn. She graduated from St. Joseph's College, NYU, also in Brooklyn. Her first job was at Young & Rubicon in Manhattan, an advertising agency on Madison Avenue in New York City. Rosemary and her father left Brooklyn for Fairfield, Connecticut, in 1947, and lived at Morehouse Highway, in Fairfield. Rosemary worked at the General Electric plant in Fairfield, Connecticut, and was humorously known as "Gail Evans" of GE. At GE, Rosemary met her husband-to-be, Charles Morris of Connecticut (now deceased) and they were married in 1955. Rosemary attended graduate school in Bridgeport, Connecticut, for her Master's in Education and became a teacher, a profession she loved dearly. Rosemary taught first graders for more than 20 years in Connecticut. Her first position as teacher was at Weston Elementary School in Weston. She retired from teaching in 1980 and held many association memberships in the teaching field. Rosemary and Charlie, who had no children, lived on Candlewood Lake in Fairfield County and enjoyed swimming, socializing, entertaining, and water sports. Rosemary also took care of her father until his death in 1974 at age 87. After Rosemary retired in the early 1980s, she moved to Heritage Village in Southbury and she and her longtime college friend, Mary Kurzman of Brooklyn, became seasonal residents of Florida at Spanish Lakes, Golf Village, in Port St. Lucie.
Rosemary was proud of her Irish heritage and possessed a sharp wit and undoubtedly the "gift of the gab." She was feisty and had a great sense of humor and play and loved a good joke and a cheerful song. Her hobbies were wide and varied, including painting under the pseudonym "Romy," golfing, reading, playing piano and organ, learning languages, especially French. She was a veteran overseas traveler and her favorite countries included Ireland, France and Scandinavia. Her first trip to Ireland was in 1967 accompanied by her beloved father who had not returned to the homeland since emigrating in the late 1890s. She made contact with her, previously unknown, Irish relatives at this time, the McMorrows in Dublin, a relationship that endured until her time of death and she visited there often. In fact, in her first trip to Ireland in 1967, she asked her then pregnant cousin, Maura McMorrow, wife of her first cousin Thomas McMorrow of Mohill, Leitrim, to name the baby girl she was carrying after her, and another Rosemary McMorrow was born to the world!
Rosemary Morris leaves many cousins on both sides of the Atlantic, including Clarice Kay Poole of Naples, Florida, Frances "Sisty" Reeday Strang of Fairfield, Connecticut, and Shirley Swan of Gainesville, Florida, in the United States. She is also survived by her cousins, Maura (McMorrow) Armstrong and Michael D. Armstrong, M.D., residing in Juno Beach Florida, and Maura's siblings, Rosemary's namesake Rosemary McMorrow, Leo McMorrow, Padraic McMorrow, Tommy McMorrow, Christopher McMorrow, all of Dublin, Ireland, and Paul McMorrow also of Dublin, Ireland. Rosemary is predeceased by her parents, her husband Charlie Morris and her longtime friend Mary Kurzman and other good friends and neighbors in Connecticut, Florida and New York.

Memorials: In lieu of flowers, Rosemary has requested that donations be sent to Catholic Relief Services, 228 W. Lexington St. Baltimore, Maryland 21201-3413.

Cemetery: Cemetery Not Applicable

Location: Munson-Lovetere Southbury

Funeral: Church Not Applicable

Services: According to her wishes, Rosemary will be cremated and her remains will be interred at Oaklawn Cemetery in Fairfield, Connecticut, next to her father's grave. Funeral and burial services will be private.

Visitation: Visitation will be held on Saturday, October 6, 2012, between 11 a.m and noon at the Munson-Lovetere Funeral Home, 235 Main Street North, Southbury, CT 06488.