Rosemary Borck of Chattanooga, a beloved matriarch whose zest for life inspired her family and everyone around her, died on Monday, March 2, 2015. She was 94.
Born in Kansas City, KS on June 4, 1920 to the late Roy and Pearl Mauzey, she was the daughter of a Santa Fe Railroad man and granddaughter of homesteaders who built houses of sod on the Great Plains. Throughout her long and active life, she displayed the strong will and true grit of her pioneer heritage.
A lover of gardening, reading, bird-watching, tennis, which she played well into her 70s, and family gatherings of all kinds, she was always on the move, greeting everyone with an inquisitive mind and radiant smile. In her later years as a transplant from California to Tennessee, she particularly enjoyed programs sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga.
Rosemary met her husband, Robert Borck, when both were students at Washburn University in Topeka. They married in Chicago in 1943, followed by his overseas service in World War II. The couple raised two daughters, Lindsay and Susan, in Marble Head, MA, and ran businesses in nearby Lynn, MA. Robert died in 1973 at the age of 52.
Known lovingly as “Mama” to her granddaughters and “Gigi” to her great-grandchildren, she was a revered figure and a guiding and cherished presence in their lives.
Besides her husband, she was preceded in death by her daughter, Susan Cristino, of Glendale, OR.
Surviving are her daughter, Lindsay Barukh and husband, Isaac, of Chattanooga; granddaughters, Rebecca Parker and husband, Jordan, of Chattanooga, Rabbi Sarah Barukh and husband, Matt Shapiro, of Los Angeles, CA, and Gina Barukh of Atlanta, GA; and grandchildren, Lilah Parker, Jonah Shapiro, Aaron Parker and Eliav Shapiro.
A memorial service will be held at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 6, at B’nai Zion Synagogue with Rabbi Susan Tendler officiating. Burial will be in Massachusetts.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga.
Arrangements are by Advantage Funeral & Cremation Services, Franklin-Strickland-Pinkard-Bryan-Smith, Funeral Directors, 1724 McCallie Ave., 423 265-4414.