Kenneth Louis Rosette

1932 - 2024

Kenneth Louis Rosette, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather passed away peacefully on December 6, 2024, at the age of 92.

Ken was born September 15, 1932, in Warren, PA to Edward and Mabel (neé Greenawalt) Rosette. The family moved a few years later to Washington, DC where they settled on Texas Avenue in the Anacostia neighborhood.

Ken attended Anacostia High School. He was drafted into the US Army in 1953 and served two years in Austria.

After returning to D.C. from his service, Ken enthusiastically went to college. While in college, he met Joanna Smiroldo (deceased 2013) and they married in 1957. They were married for 57 years and had three children Kenneth Jr. (deceased 1978), Julia Green, and Keith.

A proud Hokie, Ken attended Virginia Tech, graduating in 1960 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He continued his education while working as an engineer and earned a Master's Degree in Aerospace Engineering from Catholic University in 1965.

Ken spent most of his professional life working with the US Government, starting at the Navy Yard in Washington, DC and moving in 1960 to the then-newly formed NASA at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. After retiring from NASA in 1988, Ken went on to work in private industry supporting NASA's space exploration missions until retiring for good in 1996. Highlighting a long and impactful career is his work on many firsts for NASA, including the first on-orbit repair of a spacecraft with the Solar Maximum Mission and the historic repair of the Hubble Space Telescope.

In retirement, Ken and Joanna moved to Cordova on Maryland's eastern shore and embraced the rural life. Ken, an avid woodworker, appreciated having the time to spend in his workshop either on a big project or just tinkering. He enjoyed making wooden trains for his grandchildren and great grandchildren. They very much enjoyed receiving these gifts and played with them so much that "Poppa" often had to make repairs.

Ken was an active member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church and a fourth-degree Knight of Columbus in the Regina Coeli Council. Early in retirement, he worked for several years as a part-time bailiff for Talbot County at the courthouse in Easton.

Ken was blessed to be married to two wonderful women. A few years after his beloved Joanna passed, Ken married Eleanor (neé Emmart) Mallory, with whom he spent nine loving years.

Ken was preceded into the arms of Christ by his first-born son, Kenneth Jr. and his first wife and mother of their children, Joanna. He is survived by his second wife Eleanor, his daughter Julia (Rosette) Green and son-in-law Brian, and his son Keith and daughter-in-law Theresa. He was blessed with five grandchildren, Lindsey (neé Green) Ewing and Mitchell Green, and Luke, Paul, and Daniel Rosette, and two great grandchildren, Rhett and Wyatt Ewing.

The family will receive guests and friends at Fellows, Helfenbein & Newnam, 200 S. Harrison St. Easton, MD on Thursday, December 12th, 2024, from 6pm until 8pm, where a rosary service will take place at 7:45pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Friday, December 13th, 2024, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Cordova at 11am. Interment will follow in the church cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to either: Ronald McDonald House of Maryland, 1 Aisquith Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 or St. Joseph's Catholic Church 13209 Church Lane, Cordova, MD 21625.

For online condolences, please visit: www.fhnfuneralhome.com