Rosalie Virginia Zook

Celebration of Life:

Rosalie Virginia Zook

Born on August 12, 1937 in Trinidad, Colorado, Rosalie Zook lived a vibrant, generous life animated by her gregarious and caring nature. Her parents, Adrian Gonzales, a coal miner, and Vonnie worked as farmers, cultivating crops, raising chickens, and instilling in their children a deep appreciation for hard work. The rural landscape of her childhood found Rosalie gazing at the stars on many nights with her siblings, Adrian Jr., Mildred, William “Billy”, and Beatrice “Bea.” Rosalie’s parents and siblings preceded her in death.

Rosalie attended Primero High School which helped lay the foundation for her professional success. A popular student, she was a natural fit for the school’s cheerleading squad which found her shaking a mean pom pom and coaxing school teams to victory. While a student in high school, Rosalie met James (Jim) Shea, Sr., a student-athlete enrolled at Trinidad Junior College who competed with the school’s wrestling team. Rosalie and Jim, who would establish a career as a master carpenter, married in 1955. The couple had two children, Victoria (Vickie), born in 1956, and James Jr. (Jimmy), born in 1959. Sadly, Rosalie and Jim experienced the loss of Jimmy who passed away on Mother’s Day in 1960.

Rosalie’s life as a parent was a whirlwind of activity that connected her to the larger community. In addition to supporting her daughter during many a homework session and school project, she served as a leader of Vickie’s Brownie troop, helping to organize arts and crafts activities and raise funds through sales of the organization’s iconic cookies. She also served in the cafeteria at Vickie’s school.

As a professional, Rosalie distinguished herself  by earning recognition as the top salesperson at State Beauty Supply and excelling as an Office Manager at Zook Engineering. She also worked at Beauty Nook Salon, drawing upon her studies in cosmetology. Despite her demanding work and family commitments, Rosalie didn’t give short shrift to her self-care routine, faithfully adhering to a schedule of weekly manicures and hair appointments. She playfully greeted compliments about her beautiful nails by wiggling her fingers.

It would be obvious to even the most casual observer that Rosalie, as the adage holds, “never met a stranger.” Routine outings to local shops and locales abroad found her making “fast friends” with people from diverse backgrounds drawn to her warmth, authenticity, and sparkling sense of humor.

Rosalie’s commitment to improving the lives of people in her community was robust and long-standing. For a decade, she volunteered at Pueblo’s public television station, KTSC. She also served Pueblo’s Social Services Department and the Athletics Department at the University of Southern Colorado. In addition, she steadfastly supported Native American schools in Montana.

A consummate social butterfly, Rosalie relished spending time with family and friends, whether playing dominoes or watching sporting events. And as Rosalie’s family members recall, any sport would do! Those in attendance always looked forward to her scrumptious baked goods including banana bread, pizzelle cookies, and nut-covered cheese balls.

Rosalie possessed an adventurous spirit and loved to travel. The luminous beach town of Mazatlan, Mexico was a favorite destination, a place that Rosalie visited many times with Vickie and friends. Once, Rosalie completed a road trip of more than three thousand miles with stops in California, Canada, Montana, Kansas, Kentucky and Georgia. During this transcontinental odyssey, she visited family, and favorite baseball fields and golf courses.

Some of her travel was closer to home and no less meaningful. During annual trips to the State Fair, Rosalie taught Vickie how to identify  horses worthy of a bet. “Always look at the hind legs,” Rosalie urged.

Rosalie passed away on October 5, 2024. Left to mourn her passing are Vickie Shea, daughter, Beverly Gonzales (Adrian, Jr.), numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

A service to celebrate Rosalie’s life will be held on Saturday, November 2, 2024 at 2 p.m. at Montgomery & Steward Funeral Home located at 1317 N. Main Street, Pueblo, Colorado. For those unable to attend in person, the service will be livestreamed which will be located at the top of this obituary.

Attendees are invited to a reception immediately following Rosalie’s service to be held on the second floor of the Montgomery & Steward chapel.

In memory of Rosalie, donations may be made to a Native American school of your choosing.