KUCHERA, ROSE (Rosie)
ROSE KUCHERA, age 87, of West Bloomfield, passed away peacefully at home among her family on May 20, 2015. She was born in Brooklyn, New York on September 30, 1927, grew up in The Bronx and graduated from Christopher Columbus High School. After high school she worked for an advertising agency and worked on the Borden account where she sang the Elsie the Borden Cow jingles on the radio and had an appearance on the Arthur Godfrey Amateur Hour. She then joined the Associated Press in New York City. Rose moved to Detroit with her small family in 1953. In 1956 they relocated to Westland and then to West Bloomfield in 1964.
Early in her adult life, Rosie was a golfer and bowler. Later, she enjoyed traveling with her husband Jerry around the world and flying with him on his small plane around the country. She loved to sing songs by Frank Sinatra, dance and enjoyed life to its fullest. In a golf pro shop, her I Love Lucy-like antics were noticed by the cartoonist Walt Ditzen who created the character "Rosie" for his cartoon strip, Fan Fare.
Rosie was preceded in death by her: husband, Gerald J. Kuchera; son, Michael Falls; mother and father, Rose and Francis Gentile and her brother Francis Gentile Jr. Rosie is survived by her sister, Margaret Rocco. She is also survived by her children Carol (Dan) Malloy; Robert (Kathryn) Falls; Jerry (Lisa) Kuchera; William (Lou Ann) Kuchera; Kathy Collings; Sue (Roland) Catenacci; Barbara Kuchera; Janet (Robert) Lacoste; Susan (Sam) Pao. Rose was grandmother to Jason, Wesley, Alex Eric, Austin, Jennifer, William, Richard, Denise, the late Daniel and great grandmother to nine children. She also had three dedicated caregivers Patsy Adams, Billie Whitener and the late Estelle Smith.
Visitation at the O'Brien & Sullivan Funeral Home, 41555 Grand River Avenue, Novi , 248-348-1800, Friday 2-8 pm. Instate Saturday at Church of the Holy Family, 24505 Meadowbrook Road, Novi from 10:30 am until time of funeral liturgy 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD) at www.theaftd.org .