William Alexander "Bill" Rosser

Rosser, William
Alexander "Bill"
Feb. 13, 1925 - Sep. 8, 2012
William (Bill) Alexander Rosser, Sr., age 87, and beloved father, brother, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend, died Saturday, September 8, 2012. A resident of Lido Key, Sarasota, Florida, Bill succumbed to prostate cancer with which he had lived for over 10 years.
Bill was born February 13, 1925 in Birmingham, Alabama. The second oldest of five children, he worked from when he was a young teenager to help support his family. A WWII veteran of the United States Merchant Marine, he married Sybil Templeton in l944. They resided in Alabama where their two sons, William Alexander (Bill or Alex as his Dad called him) and Joseph (Joe) Templeton, were born. In 1952 the family moved to Colorado. The marriage ended in divorce.
Bill is a graduate of the University of Colorado and had a successful career in Colorado with Blue Cross Blue Shield.
In the early 1980's, following his divorce, Bill moved to Florida. He lived for many years in Key West, Florida, where he regularly swam in the gulf waters. He met the true love of his life, Lawrence (Larry) Selepec, in Key West and together they moved to Lido Key in 2002. As 'the mayor of the early morning beach', Bill walked very early every morning along the beach at Lido Key to New Pass and back. He loved his life in Sarasota and the beautiful view of the gulf waters from his Lido Key home. Bill and Larry maintained close family ties with Bill's children and grandchildren. They were thankful for the love of family and friends and nurtured these relationships throughout their lives. Bill was a great listener and had a fine sense of humor. He developed close friendships in Sarasota, from his walks at the beach and to Armand Circle, from his condo building, and from his volunteer activities at Sarasota Memorial Hospital and the Senior Friendship Center. He felt particularly close to and thankful for his 'best friends' in Sarasota, Cynthia and her husband John.
His oldest son Bill Jr. was able to be with him and provide loving support to him in Sarasota for the last months of his life.
Bill's loving partner, Larry Selepec, predeceased him in 2006. His youngest son, Joe, predeceased him in 2010. Three of his siblings preceded him in death: Evelyn Rosser Sims, Walter Rosser and Peggy Rosser McCormick.
He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Bill Rosser Jr. and Karen Westrell, of Golden, Colorado; his sister and brother-in-law, Bettie Rosser Mohler and Burman Mohler, of Keswick, Virginia; his brother-in-law, Monroe McCormick, of Greensboro, North Carolina; his four grandchildren: Joe Rosser, of New York City, NY; Jake Rosser and Wendy Chan and their children, Clay, Mia and Blake Rosser, of Beaverton, Oregon; Anne-Marie Rosser and Adam Whipple and their children, Sofia, Lila and Ellis Whipple, of Chicago, Illinois; and Alex San Filippo-Rosser of Pueblo, Colorado; by former daughters-in-law with whom he remained close, Jesse Rosser of New York City, NY and Nedra San Filippo of Denver, CO; and by his son Joe's former partner, Ann Lee.
Bill Rosser's family and friends will honor him with many fine memories. At his request, no formal memorial service will be held. His family wishes to thank his many friends for enriching his life and for their recent gifts to him of cookies, custards, soup, visits, massages, pancakes, phone calls and cards.
Per Bill's wishes, the family suggests that memorial contributions may be made to the reelection campaign of President Barack Obama, www.barackobama.com (Bill had hoped to survive to vote for President Obama's second term) or to the Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation, 1515 South Osprey Ave., Suite B4, Sarasota, FL 34239.