Gertrude (Trudy) Blount Rosato (née Doman)

Born in Philadelphia on September 21, 1938, Trudy Doman was the second of two children born to Gertrude M. Blount and Francis J. Doman. In 1941, Trudy's father, Francis, a fireman with Engine Company 59 was killed in the line of duty when Trudy was just 3 years old and her brother Francis J. Doman Jr. (Bud) was seven.

While attending the Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls in Philadelphia, Trudy was active on the cheerleading squad and the basketball team, earning her the nickname "Gunner" Doman. After graduating in 1956, Trudy went on to Philadelphia General Hospital School of Nursing where she earned her RN degree (1959). In addition to making lifelong friends in what was known as the "Fifth Floor Gang," it was here that Trudy met the rising Hahnemann Medical School intern Francis E. Rosato, from the Port Richmond neighborhood of Philadelphia. In 1962, Trudy and Frank were married at Holy Child Church, Philadelphia, the same church in which Trudy had been baptized. Two years later, their first child, Ernest L. Rosato (Gary) was born, and the following year brought their second child, Anne V. Before the third child Gertrude M. (Trudy) arrived in 1967, the family had moved to the suburb of Gladwyne. Shortly after Francis E. Jr. (Frank) was born in 1971, the family moved to Norfolk, Virginia, when Trudy's husband Frank accepted the Chairmanship of the Eastern Virginia Medical Schools. It was there that their fifth and final child, Aimee M. was born (1976) before returning to Gladwyne in 1979 when Frank assumed the Chairmanship of the Department of Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and became the Samuel D. Gross Professor of Surgery.

Forever the competent, capable and nurturing nurse, Trudy raised five children with seeming ease, gentle compassion, and a plenitude of calm. Trudy could engage children effortlessly, bandage any "battle wound," or make you laugh at your own bruised ego. Known as "Mummum" to her 14 grandchildren, Trudy would often follow them down the slides of the Gladwyne Playground well into her Seventies.

In addition to the children and the in-laws, the Rosato home also had plenty of pets. There was always at least one dog, usually a cat, and a miscellany of others: guinea pigs, hamsters, mice, chickens, parakeets and fish, in addition to the horses and ponies that came later. Forever an animal lover, Trudy enjoyed and cared for them all.
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Renowned for her excellent cooking and entertaining, Trudy's esteemed Sunday dinner brought together family and friends every week, and far larger crowds for holidays and hospital functions. The excellent food was always accompanied by good wine, abundant laughter, and plenty of noisy conversation.

Always active, Trudy enjoyed tennis, figure skating, waterskiing, snow skiing, fishing and boating. Around the house, she also gardened extensively and for a time was known to paint rooms, sew curtains and hang her own wallpaper.

She and Frank loved to travel — ski trips, sabbaticals and trips in France and Italy, island resorts, barge trips, the Jersey Shore — either with family or with their very close group of friends of over 30 years.

Trudy loved to learn and to speak both French and Italian; she and Frank studied both languages throughout their adult lives. But Trudy's favorite pursuit was sculpting, which she studied and enjoyed for many years.

A supportive and loving mother, daughter, grandmother, sister and wife, Trudy will always be remembered for her unflappable temperament, her compassion and caring, her devotion to her beloved husband, her enjoyment of a good laugh, and her genuine, beautiful and reliable smile.

Trudy was the beloved wife of the late Francis E. Rosato, M.D.  Devoted mother of Ernest L. (Jeannette), Anne V. Rosato, Gertrude M. Simpson (James), Francis E., Jr. (Kimberly) and Aimee M. Ainslie (Jeffrey).  She is also survived by 14 dear grandchildren.

A Funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday March 14, 11 AM at St. John Vianney Church, 350 Conshohocken State Rd., Gladwyne, PA.  Relatives and friends are invited to a Visitation at the Church from 9:30 to 11:00 AM. Interment will follow in Calvary Cemetery, West Conshohocken, PA.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls, 1000 W. Lycoming St., Philadelphia, PA 19140 or to Alzheimer's Association , P.O. Box 96001, Washington D.C., 20090-6011.