Rosario (Rose) Cruz Barcelo Anderson, age 82, passed away at her home in Westmont, IL after a long battle with Alzheimer’s on November 26, 2024. Born on May 3, 1942, in Chicago, IL third oldest of 10 children to Raphael Barcelo & Simona Ramirez Barcelo.
After marrying in 1976 to Richard E. Anderson where they moved to Glen Ellyn, IL & then to Downers Grove, IL where they lived on Gilbert St. for 40 yrs.
During her life there were four things she held dear, her faith, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She had the gift “to gab” she could walk in a room not knowing anyone and by the time she left she knew everyone even had plans for lunch with someone the next week. She loved playing bingo it was her vice in life as far as gambling goes. Helping with the food pantry at St. Joseph, she made many friends there. And she was a shopper, she would buy things not because she needed them but because it was a great deal! And then it would sit in the bag or box in her closet or in the basement never used or worn price tags still on. She was a collector of goods and pictures, she had rolls and rolls of pictures, a lot of them duplicates of the same pictures. She never threw anything away.
When she first married Dad, he introduced her and us to St. Joes, Michigan and every year we went there on vacation and when he passed, she kept that tradition going for years. She also made trips to Mexico to see her brother and his wife and their 6 son’s and their families. Not as often as she would have liked but nonetheless it was something she treasured.
She was a hard worker, strong-willed, outspoken with a contagious laugh. When her older children were young, she worked 2 and 3 jobs at the same time and then she met and married Richard and stopped working until he got sick and then she got back at it, she became the bread winner again. She knew what it took to survive.
Rose is survived in life by her Children, Daughter Antoniette and her daughter Bernadette, Devoted Son Frank and his son Christopher, Daughter Benita and life partner Mark Szaflarski and her son’s Robert & Jack, Son Gilbert and his son’s Julian, Matthew, Niko, Nathanel, and his life partner Cathy and their children Gilbert Jr. and Destiny, Daughter Julia and her children Niccole & Angel, Son Richard Jr. and his children Delilah & Christian and wife Theresa and their children Richard & Vivian, Son Nicolas and his son Donavan. Great-grandchildren: Rogue, Alex, Maddison, Elijah and Khloe. Siblings, Brother Nicolas and his wife Tera, Brother Anthony (Tony), Sister Maria (Janie) and Sister Henrietta and her husband Vincente Gomez. And numerous nieces and nephews.
She is preceded by her husband, Richard E. Anderson, parents Raphael & Simona Barcelo, Brothers, Jose’, Gabriel, Martin, Matthew and sister Julia, grandson David Anderson, Nephews, Nicholas & Paul Skenandore and Brother In-law Jesse D. Garcia.
Visitation will be held 10:00 a.m. until Celebration of Life Mass at 11 am on Friday, December 13, 2024 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 4801 Main St. Downers Grove, IL.
