Remembering 'Rosie'

Nov 04, 2010

Photo: Sharbot Lake and District Lions organized a seniors’ night to remember in Sharbot, which included a tribute to Rosemary Wadham of Arden

The annual Seniors’ Night put on by the Sharbot Lake and District Lions was another overwhelming success. The evening including musical entertainment by emcee Jim MacPherson and Gary Giller, who played a number of well-received toe-tapping pop and country favorites. Door prizes were given away throughout the evening. By far the most moving part of the evening was a video tribute put together by Peter Wadham of Arden, honouring his late wife Rosemary, who entertained the community for years as her very British comedic alter ego Rosie. Sadly, Rosemary passed away on June 21 this year.

Seniors who came out for the evening of entertainment on Oct. 27 were given a chance to laugh and remember Rosie (archive photo, left), a creative spark in the local community who spread joy and laughter far and wide and who is sorely missed by many.

The video was a compilation of Rosie's stand up routines that were performed at the annual Lions seniors' nights, and spanned a period from 1988 through 2009.

Charming, engaging and always entertaining, Rosie never failed to spread joy and laughter.

Born in Newbury, England, Rosemary was a dressmaker by profession. She emigrated to Montreal in 1963 with husband Peter and three children and moved to Ottawa in 1970, where she performed in the Ottawa Little Theatre and was a founding member of the Bytown Players in Gloucester.

In 1992 she and Peter retired to Arden where Rosemary shared her many talents with the community as treasurer of the Kennebec Lake Association from 1996-2000, as a member of the Arden Glee Club and the United Church, and as a regular performer in Mystery Theatre. She was also a talented line dancer and cross stitcher and perhaps became most loved as Rosie. She and her husband Peter were recognized as Seniors of the Year in Kennebec District in 2006.

Though she bravely battled cancer three times and had a long fight with scleroderma, Rosemary is remembered by many as “always having something positive to say”.