On July 21st, Rosalie Amidei passed away in Phoenix, Arizona, where she lived the last year of her life. Born on November 26th, 1937, she lived and worked in Trinidad until her marriage to Mario Amidei, the love of her life, in 1962. She and her husband lived in Walsenburg from that time until she moved to Phoenix to be near her children and grandchildren where she was cared for in a facility that helps with patients who suffered from Alzheimer’s, a disease that she battled for several years. A gifted bookkeeper, she for years maintained the financial aspects of her husband’s several businesses and also served as a cook for the Walsenburg School District while her children attended school. She then became an exceptional employee in her tenure as a bookkeeper for the Walsenburg Social Service Department until she retired. Rosalie will always be remembered for her caring attitude and kindnesses to so many that she encountered both in her private life and professional work and selfless volunteering. She often said that her being a mother and grandmother was the greatest gift life gave her, a role that her daughters and granddaughters know that she mastered with endless love. As the matriarch of her family, she had delicious cooking and baking skills which always made all holidays and birthdays so special. Her Christmas potica was her signature baking offering and gift that so many of her family and friends enjoyed.
Preceding her in death are her parents Frank and Carmela De Bono, her husband Mario Amidei, and her brother Frank De Bono Jr. She is survived and will always be cherished by her daughters Judene Amidei (Holly Burggraf), Darlene (Jeff) Paul, her granddaughters Taylor and Kaileigh Phelps, her brother Pete (Nettie) De Bono, her brother Carl De Bono, her brother-in-law John (Betty) Amidei as well as numerous nephews and nieces.
The funeral will be on August 18th at St. Mary’s Church in Walsenburg. The rosary will be at 10:00 and the funeral mass will follow at 10:30
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Rosalie’s name to Hospice of the Valley, 1510 E. Flowers Street, Phoenix, AZ, 85014 or www.hov.org/donate. Arrangements made by Abel Funeral Home in Phoenix, AZ and Boies-Ortega Funeral Home, Walsenburg, CO.