Obituary of Rosalie Christopher

Rosalie Christopher passed away peacefully in the loving arms of her husband and  children on September 20, 2024. Born Rosalie Pinetti in the Bronx, NY on  September 17, 1935, she was raised by her parents Anna and Ignazio (Benny)  Pinetti, who immigrated to the U.S. from Sicily. 

Rosalie, or Rose, as she was known by her friends, was a devout Catholic, a  master bridge player, an excellent cook, a bowler, an avid reader, but above all,  and what she was most proud of, she was “Nanny” to a beloved family. 

In her youth, she was always a top student and excelled in the sciences. She  yearned to go to college and pursue a nursing career. However, as the eldest of  four children, and only having one brother, her parents said she needed to go to  work; “college is only for your brother.” Although times changed, her compassion  and caregiving did not.  

Rosalie met the love of her life while attending a French dance at the Statler Hotel  in Manhattan in the spring of 1955, where she managed to find the only Greek  amongst the crowd. Thomas A. Christopoulos (Christopher) quickly won her heart  and that was the beginning of their 66-year romance. They went on to marry on  June 1, 1958, but not before she insisted that her Greek Orthodox fiancé convert  to Catholicism; which indeed he did. Starting a family and moving to the suburbs  of Westchester County, they settled in Hartsdale where they raised their two  children and lived for over 40 years.  

Rosalie had a true passion for helping others and was an active volunteer her  entire life, beginning with her involvement on numerous school boards and  religious organizations, to the charitable causes she passionately supported.  It was her strong desire for her children to have a Catholic education, so she  returned to work and became a Credit and Accounting Manager, to help  contribute to the parochial school tuitions. She led a full life of service to others  whether at Sacred Heart Church, or in her later years at St. Matthew’s Parish  where she was most recently an active member of the New Horizons Club.

When their grandchildren began active lives in Darien, CT, the Christopher’s sold  their NY home and moved across the state line to Connecticut. Nanny and Papouli  attended every concert, recital, ballgame, and graduation. Her fine culinary skills  were frequently the source of family delight. Upon her husband’s retirement,  they began their global travels and continued to live life to its fullest. Rose shared  many amazing friendships, as her warm and genuine spirit was a magnet to all she  knew; however, her biggest accomplishment was at home, where she sculpted the lives of her children and grandchildren with an unmatched fervor of love and  kindness. 

Her legacy lives on with the joy of her family. She was the loving mother of Marianne Christopher Cirillo (Nicholas) of Darien, CT and Thomas A. Christopher,  Jr. (Lynn), also of Darien, CT. She was the devoted grandmother of 8; Brittany  Christopher (Jeff) Miller, Alexander T. (Vanessa Ngai) Christopher, Nikolas C.  Cirillo, Thomas C. Cirillo, Lindsey B. Bennett, Skyler B. Bennett, along with two great-grandsons, Jesse and Mason Miller. She was the sister of Louis (pre deceased by Barbara) Pinetti, of Derwood, MD and Margaret (Stephen) Timar of  Yorktown Heights, NY and is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews. She  is pre-deceased by her sister, Roseanne (Frank) Lieb in 1998. 

A Mass of Christian service will be held at St. Matthew’s Church, 216 Scribner  Avenue, Norwalk, Connecticut, at 10 am on Tuesday, September 24, 2024. Her burial will follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthrone, NY.  A visitation will be held on Monday, September 23, 2024, from 4 to 8 PM in the Lawrence Funeral Home, 2119 Post Road in Darien.

For more information or to leave a condolence, please visit:  

https://lawrencefuneralhome.com/