Rosemary Casey Carter

10/07/1934 - 10/13/2025

October 7, 1934 – October 13, 2025

Rosemary Casey Carter of Washington, DC and formerly of Pittsburgh, PA died on October 13, 2025 just days after celebrating her 91st birthday together with all 6 of her children. Charles Carroll Carter, her beloved husband of 64 years, predeceased Rosemary in 2021. He was the publisher and editor of Mass Transit, a magazine on urban public transportation, as well as the lead author of Creating Capitol Hill: Place, Proprietors and People. Rosemary was named Mother of the Year in the District of Columbia in 1983-84. She was also a grandmother to 14, and great-grandmother to 5. Remarkably, she birthed all her children between 1957 and 1966 with no twins.

Born Rosemary Connelly Casey on October 7, 1934, she was the youngest child of Samuel Brown Casey and Emma Constance Connelly, and the grand-daughter of John Francis Casey and Mary Lee of Pittsburgh. Rosemary attended the Ellis School in Pittsburgh, and was a graduate of the Convent of the Sacred Heart at Eden Hall and of Rosemont College near Philadelphia before marrying Carroll Carter on November 24, 1956 at St. Paul's Cathedral in Pittsburgh.

A devout Catholic all her life, Rosemary was a Dame of Magistral Grace in the Federal Association of the Order of Malta with whom she went on pilgrimage to Lourdes in France, and twice as caregiver to her husband with Parkinson's Disease. She spearheaded many of the Order's service efforts and was awarded the President's Medal for her leadership at Malta House in Hyattsville, Maryland. As a young mother in Pittsburgh in the early 1960s, Rosie was honored to be chosen to accompany the late John Wright, Bishop of Pittsburgh, on a trip to Rome prior to his important work as an influential participant in the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) and being named a Cardinal. She was a member of the Downtown Washington Serra Club praying for vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life, and a graduate of EPS – Education for Parish Service - the program at Trinity College designed to teach theology to lay women and men active in Church service. Rosemary and Carroll enjoyed memberships at the Chevy Chase Club and the Metropolitan Club of Washington, DC. They were dedicated fans of the Washington Capitals and Rosemary often included the team among her intentions when praying the Rosary!

Rosemary was well known for her top-notch culinary skills. The Carter house was famous for welcoming family and guest alike for epic sit-down meals. Not content to rely on Julia Child and her extensive library, Rosie took classes and was awarded a degree from L'Academie de Cuisine in Bethesda. For many years she ran a profitable home business making, selling and delivering one product entirely by herself – an almond macaroon cookie that – absent freezing – stayed fresh only for about 24 hours. All locations in the Washington area where they were sold in the 1980s ran out daily and usually within 2-3 hours of being delivered.

Rosemary was predeceased by her sister Joan Casey Leisure of New York, NY and Sea Island, GA (married to the late George Stanley Leisure, Jr.), by her brother Samuel Brown Casey Jr. of Pittsburgh, PA, Chicago, IL and Naples, FL (married to the late Margaret Fox), and by her sister Constance Thérèse (Terry) Casey who died during her college years. Rosemary is survived by her daughter Constance Thérèse Carter (married to Gordon Todd Dale) of Washington, DC and Middleburg, VA; her son Charles Carroll Carter Jr. of Washington, DC; her daughter Anna Saint John (married to John Saint John) of Silver Spring, MD; her daughter Joan Carter of Chevy Chase, MD; her son Adam Augustine Carter (married to Elisabeth Hickey Carter) of Washington, DC; and her son Samuel Casey Carter (married to Nancy Dubé) of Sarasota, FL. She is also survived by 14 grand-children – Dr. Charlotte Carroll Lawson (married to Bethany Michelle Lawson) of Greenville, SC; William David Lawson V (married to Elizabeth Gould Lawson) of Bethesda, MD; Henry Carter Lawson of Asheville, NC; Lt. Samuel Lee Carter, USN (married to Isabella Weng Carter) of Norfolk, VA; Luke Montgomery Carter (married to Adrienne Lane) of Kensington, MD; Nina Casey Carter of Norwalk, CT; Blaise Carroll Carter of Los Angeles, CA; Fiona Catherine Carter of Fairfield, CT; Rosemary Constance Jermakian of New York, NY; Claire Katherine Jermakian of Arlington, VA; Charles Carroll Carter II of Washington, DC; Kirby Catherine Carter of Austin, TX; Casey Elizabeth Carter and Lucy Carroll Carter of Alexandria, VA. Rosemary's five great-grand children are: Elliott Louise Lawson and Trevor Thomas Lawson of Greenville, SC; Jude Lane Carter of Kensington, MD; Iris Alexandria Carter of Norfolk, VA; and Rosemary Ellen Lawson of Bethesda, MD.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on November 3, 2025 at 10 a.m. at St. Ann Catholic Church on Tenley Circle. Rosemary will be laid to rest at a private interment ceremony for the family and buried alongside her husband at St. Mary Catholic Church in Petersville, MD.

In lieu of flowers please send any donations in memory of Rosemary Casey Carter to: Order of Malta – Federal Association (for Malta House) 1730 M Street, NW, Suite 403, Washington, DC 20036, or to St. Ann Catholic Church (for the alcove being built for the St. John's Illustrated Bible) 4001 Yuma Street, NW, Washington, DC 20016.