Rose Marie Haakenson

Rose Marie Kirkwood was born Dec. 1, 1937 in New York and grew up in The Bronx and Queens before moving to Southern California in her early 20s, and soon became Rose Marie Haakenson.

But no matter which side of the country Rose Marie lived, no matter who was in her life at any given time, no matter what her personal circumstance, she was the same selfless, caring, giving, kind woman.

In her late teens and early 20s she worked as a Candy Striper, defined as a hospital volunteer who works without pay in a variety of health care settings and under the direct supervision of nurses. Candy Striper? The term isn't used today, but it is derived from the red-and-white striped pinafores that female volunteers wore, reminiscent of candy canes.

Yes, Rose Marie was sweet, as anyone who knew her would describe her. But she also was tough, as she had to be in order to navigate her relationship with her ever-so-stern mother, who lived to be 106. She was a big sister to younger brother Bob, and someone who was looked up to in the Bronx neighborhood she lived in when she was in her teens.

MaryAnn Rosato Weber lived in that neighborhood with Rose Marie, and it didn't matter to Rose Marie that MaryAnn was three years younger.

"As a child and teen-ager those three years were a lot," MaryAnn said. "For whatever reason, your mom befriended me and took me under her wing. So here we were. Me with my Italian heritage and your mom German. And your grandmother terrified me! But she didn't stop me from visiting my older friend.

"We had some lovely times. Your mom took me and Bobby to see the movie "The Thing." She laughed and I had nightmares for weeks! I missed her so when she took off to go west. I was so sad but in awe of her bravery. ... I miss my Bronx friend and hope we meet again on another Bronx street."

Rose Marie moved to Los Angeles, appropriately, considering many said she resembled actress Elizabeth Taylor. And as one might imagine, it didn't take long before she was swooped up. Ryal Haakenson, fresh off the turnip truck from Iowa, didn't waste any time — six days after meeting her, Ryal proposed to Rose Marie at a pizza place in Hollywood.

They married in 1961, moved into their forever home in Covina in 1963, and raised a family, bringing five children into the world — Joe, Paul, Ann, Kristin and Jennifer. It was a traditional family, with Ryal working Monday through Friday, 9-to-5, and Rose Marie handling the duties at home, making meals, cleaning house, supervising homework, running the kids around to baseball, football, basketball, wrestling and softball practices, tap dancing lessons, directing scout meetings, presiding over the PTA, and on and on.

As the kids got a little older and a little more self-sufficient, Rose Marie went back to work doing what she did best — taking care of people. She worked at Magan Medical Clinic in Covina, and later their branch office in La Verne, for 27 years. She never had a nursing degree, but when a nurse, or doctor, or patient was in need of a helping hand, or a shoulder to cry on, or a smile to brighten their day, Rose Marie was there for them. She finally retired only to return as a volunteer for Hospice, where she served until she veered from caretaker to patient.

Rose Marie was grandmother to six — Hannah, Cade, Kaylee, Kimber, Ryalee and Reagan — and step grandmother to five more — Devin, Damian, Braiden, Kendall and Nicole.

She moved to Huntington Beach in 2014, but dementia slowly reared its ugly head and prompted a move into a memory care home in 2018. She moved back to Covina in mid-2022 before passing away at age 85 on Feb. 10, 2023 — the 117th birthday of her mom Rose Kirkwood. That must've been some party up in heaven.

— Joe Haakenson