The Foundation:  Rose Craig’s Legacy

Rose Craig passed away on September 17, 2000 after a long, courageous battle with cancer.  As she had hoped, she died at home surrounded by loved ones.  While Rose’s death was devastatingly sad, our memories of her are joyful and today we celebrate Rose and the life she lived.  

Rose was a woman of indomitable spirit, whose will to live life fully was surpassed only by her will to love people completely.  We are sure that anyone and everyone whose lives Rose touched would certainly agree.  She always loved with all her might – her love truly knew no bounds.  The strength and abundance of her love took some people by surprise, and even made some people uncomfortable, because the ability to love so fully is so rare in this world. 

Life was simple for Rosie:  be available and love.  Rose made everyone she loved feel so special because she gave us her complete attention and her unconditional love.  She loved to sit people down with a cup of tea or a glass of wine and ask them about their lives.  Rose cared deeply about friends’ and families’ lives and people opened up to her because she made it easy.  She touched countless lives simply by being available and caring.

Her family basked and thrived in Rose’s love – we always felt exceedingly blessed to be part of Rose’s world.  Nothing was more important to Rose than her family.  She was a wonderful wife for 35 years, a marvelous mother for almost that long, and a truly ecstatic grandmother during the last four years.  She embraced each of these roles with great enthusiasm and performed each with enormous joy and devotion.

Rose was particularly thrilled to be a grandmother and she loved Alissa and Keeghan dearly.  Rose loved everybody’s kids though– they were all little “coneheads” to her.  She was especially delighted when new babies were born.  This was in part because she loved babies, but it was also because she loved life and the promise of a new life simply thrilled her. 

Rose’s love for life was shown in many ways.  She truly celebrated life everyday, in ways big and small.  From rejoicing at the births of her grandchildren… to birthday and anniversary celebrations (for which she always sent cards!)…  to games of Euchre with friends and cheering “enthusiastically” at her kids’ hockey and soccer games… Rose found joy and humor in each day and she shared both with everyone around her.  Rose made a genuine difference everywhere she went and in every life she touched.

Rose’s favorite flower was the rose and it is a symbol of the great care and compassion she always showed for others during her lifetime.  The Rose Craig Foundation has adopted the red rose as its symbol. Rose Craig always showed great care and compassion for others during her lifetime.  Now, her spirit, kindness and generosity will live on forever through the Rose Craig Foundation.

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