Rosemary Droze of La Plata, MD passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by family on Tuesday night, May 21, 2019. Born in Chicago, IL, she was the daughter of Violet Colette Walsh Meenan and Cyril Francis Meenan. Rosemary was married for 55 years to H. Daniel Droze Jr., with whom she danced to the oldies and “beach music,” often with others on the dance floor stopping to watch and cheer.
Rosemary was a light in her community, spending most of her time in recent years giving back; visiting those in need, running errands for those who couldn’t and delivering gifts with love and special attention. She was also an avid and independent traveler, journeying on her own for many years from Los Angeles to Seattle, and Hawaii to Denmark to see her children. Her strong faith took her on pilgrimages to Lourdes and Medugorje, as well as a recent trip to Rome with family to see Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square.
Rosemary had a colorful career, adding joy to every place she worked. She spent almost a decade as a flight attendant for Eastern Airlines in the 1950-60s glamorous heyday of air travel. Stationed in Miami, New York and Washington, DC, she was also a model for Eastern’s prestigious in-flight fashion shows.
After marrying Dan and spending more than a decade dedicated to full-time motherhood, Rosemary re-entered the workplace in the 1980s at The Maryland Independent, developing The Southern Marylander monthly magazine, where she was Managing Editor.
Rosemary went on to spend 19 years as a VIP concierge at the Hyatt Regency in Crystal City, VA in their top floor Regency Club, receiving many accolades, including recognition for exceptional service by the Washington Convention and Visitors Association. Her Hyatt personnel file overflowed with impressive comment cards describing her professionalism and generosity, once even offering a personal ride for a family that had missed the last shuttle to the U.S. Capital. She was often requested by repeat guests, businesses, and celebrities to handle special arrangements on their trips to Washington, DC.
Though travel and work brought Rosemary much happiness, her biggest loves were her children and grandchildren, calling them “God’s gift to me.”
In addition to her husband, Rosemary is survived by daughters Desma Droze Andres (Ed Andres) of LaPlata, MD and Stasia Droze Jost (Jim Jost) of Kailua, HI; sons Drew Droze (partner Virginia Guynn) of Charles Town, WV and Derk Droze (fiancée Michelle Exarhos) of Copenhagen, Denmark; as well as her beloved grandchildren Catie Kelly, Liam and Colin Andres, Noah and Colette Jost.
Rosemary is also survived by two sisters, Joan Murphy of Palo Alto, CA and Holly Boyer of Gurnee, IL; one brother Kevin Meenan and his wife Anna of Rockford, IL; sisters-in-law Mary Meenan of Waukegan, IL, Anne Droze of Plantation, FL, and Sharon Propp of Englewood, FL; along with many dear nieces and nephews across the country and devoted caregivers who became family to Rosemary and the Drozes over the last year.
Along with her parents, Rosemary was preceded in death by brother Bill Meenan and brothers-in-law, Jerry and Ron Droze.
Rosemary’s life will be celebrated on Saturday, June 1st, 2019 at Mt. Carmel Monastery, 5678 Mt. Carmel Rd, LaPlata, MD 20646, with a Visitation from 12:30pm until time of Funeral Mass at 2:00pm. Interment will be private.
The Monastery was a very important part of Rosemary’s life, so in lieu of flowers, please make donations directly to Mt. Carmel Monastery of Port Tobacco at 5678 Mt. Carmel Road, La Plata, Maryland 20646. And please share stories and memories of Rosemary with us at her celebration or in the online condolences with Raymond Funeral Service at www.raymondfuneralservice.com.
