Rosemarie King Grindy

Rosemarie King Grindy, our beloved mother, wife, sister, daughter and friend to all who knew her, passed away from complications of a long and heroic battle against cancer at 64 years old on Saturday, September 6th, 2025, at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, GA. Her beautiful soul follows that of her father, Robert L King, whom she remained close with until his passing in January 2024.

Rosemarie was born May 13, 1961, in Holyoke, MA, to Robert and Constance Soucy King, the first of four King siblings to grow up together in the same house in East Longmeadow, MA, where some Kings remain to this day. She graduated from Cathedral High School in Springfield, MA in 1979 before beginning her studies at the College of the Holy Cross where she earned a Bachelor's in English.

Rosemarie's passion for English language, literature, and humanities took her to Indiana University to pursue her Masters and PhD in postcolonial and feminist literature until 1987; it was during this time that she met her deepest love and the co-pilot of her greatest adventure, Robert Kirk Grindy. Married in 1987 in Chicopee, MA, Robert and Rosemarie lived briefly in Greencastle, IN, where they welcomed a daughter, Anna, born 1990, before settling in Decatur, IL in the same year. Anna was joined by her little brother, William, in 1993.

Rosemarie taught writing and literature at Millikin University in Decatur for several years before joining Robert in the English department at Richland Community College in 2003 where she taught until her retirement in 2022. During this time she taught writing, literature, and humanities, served as the co-director of the Honors Program, and earned Outstanding Faculty of the Year in 2016. She also proudly served as President of the Board of Directors of Children's Advocacy Centers of Illinois, an agency supporting victims of child abuse. Throughout her career, she left an unerasable impact on the minds of those who passed through her classroom that cannot be quantified.

Rosemarie lived bravely and loved fiercely; her incredible sense of empathy and love of fellowship remains the first thing many think of when they remember her. In her mind there was never a person who didn't deserve love, never a conversation that didn't deserve her full attention, never another person's hobby that didn't deserve her curiosity, never a human cause that shouldn't be championed, never help that shouldn't be offered, and never an ounce of gratitude that should go unsaid. When we talked, she listened. When we fell, she pulled us up. When we cried, she held us. When we stood proud, she stood by us.

Her greatest love and legacy remains in her children, Anna and Will, whom she loved more than life itself, and in memories from the adventure of a lifetime with Robert, who provided unconditional love and intense care from their first meeting to her final moments. She loved to travel with her family; from the natural beauty of the American West to the man-made wonders of old world Europe, she saw it all and gave her kids a wealth of experiences that can't be forgotten. Among a world of favored pastimes, she especially loved literature, mystery novels, word puzzles, watching the SF Giants with Robert, soccer with Will, and period pieces with Anna.

Surviving are her husband Robert, daughter Anna (Matt Cooke) of Scottdale, GA, son William (Emma Morrison) of Decatur, IL, mother Constance of E. Longmeadow, MA, sisters Lisa of E. Longmeadow, Christine of Northampton, and brother Tom (Frank Giuliano) of Longmeadow. We are also extremely grateful that she got to meet her beautiful granddaughter, Wren Lillian Cooke, whose arrival made her last day one of only profound joy and hope.

Rosemarie's family would like to thank all the countless people who provided support in every form imaginable during her illness. With all of her courage and strength, the emotional and logistical effort to keep her healthy was still only made possible by the support of the family who came without hesitation, friends who kept her company, colleagues and coworkers who covered with no questions, and everyone near or far who left well-wishes and words of strength on her social media updates. We can promise she saw all of it; it filled her with such strength and joy to know that she was so loved as you all showed. We'd also like to thank the hundreds of medical personnel who cared for her through dozens of hospitalizations and recovery periods in Decatur, Peoria, Boston, and Atlanta; too many to list.

Thank you.

A public memorial service for Rosemarie will be scheduled at a later date in Decatur with an announcement to be made soon via social media and this Legacy page.

Donations in Rosemarie's memory may be made to support student scholarships at Richland Community College through the Richland Community College Foundation, One College Park, Decatur, Illinois 62521, www.richland.edu/give; or to Children's Advocacy Centers of Illinois,

400 S. 9th Street Suite 101, Springfield, IL 62701,

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/42ffa6d6-ff41-4e1a-bf7a-bcb0e3a8d400