Rose Mary Sigwards

Sept. 8, 1927 - April 3, 2017

Posted 4/4/17

DIXON — Rose Mary Sigwards, 89, of Dixon, passed away surrounded by love as her family dog piled into the bed hugging her as she requested on Monday, April 3, 2017 at Clarissa Cook Hospice House in Bettendorf, Iowa.

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Rose Mary Sigwards

Sept. 8, 1927 - April 3, 2017

Posted

DIXON — Rose Mary Sigwards, 89, of Dixon, passed away surrounded by love as her family dog piled into the bed hugging her as she requested on Monday, April 3, 2017 at Clarissa Cook Hospice House in Bettendorf, Iowa. 

Visitation will be from 4 – 7 p.m., on Monday, April 10, 2017, at Preston-Schilling Funeral Home, Dixon, and from 9 a.m. until the time of Mass of Christian Burial on Tuesday, at 11 a.m. at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Dixon, with the Rev. Bernie Sehr, pastor, officiating.  Cremation rites will be accorded.

Rose Mary was born in Chicago on Sept. 8, 1927, the seventh of eight children to Angelo and Catherina “Lena” (Greco) LoVerde. She enjoyed a large family and grew up with brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, and cousins most that lived close together in the same blocks.

She graduated from Thomas W Kelly High School class of 1945. In her early years, she worked for AT&T and participated in company volleyball and other teams. She loved to snow ski, and traveled to the mountains in Colorado with her ski friends. She enjoyed dancing and knew all the dance halls in Chicago where she danced the nights away with friends, and sometimes to the live music of performers who would later become household names.

Rose Mary married Elwood “Sig” Sigwards on Jan. 20, 1962 in Chicago. They moved to Dixon where they raised their children with a pool in the backyard and church on Sundays. Rose was active in their schools as a volunteer in any ways she could. She was second mom to all the kids in the neighborhood and all that came into her home. She later worked for Dr. Lawless in his optometry office and for doctors Elie and Polosik for many years. Rose became good friends with everyone she met; nobody was a stranger for very long to Rose. To the end, it usually turned out she had known your grandma or mom, grandpa or dad, brother or sister, aunt or uncle, to most everyone she met in the Dixon.

Rose loved living along the Rock River and hosted family picnics where family from all over could come out to the country in Dixon for food and fun. She always kept toys for the kids, fishing poles, anything she thought others would enjoy.

In 1987, Rose and Sig became entrepreneurs, becoming early franchisees of Subway restaurants. Rose most recently is the owner of the Subway on W. Everett Street in Dixon. Rose was active in all the restaurants, always the best bread baker in the store. Rose was there to help as sons Dan and Jim opened their own Subway restaurants starting in 1991, and then when Tracy and Janice opened theirs starting in 2006. She was so proud as she watched the family business grow to 25 Subway restaurants.

One of Rose’s favorite things was being a snowbird, traveling to Long Key, Fla. each winter. Rose continued to travel there every year for the past 19 years, where she met her Florida friends who were like family to her. She so loved the swimming, late into the night card games, bingo, red hatters, and Mardi Gras parade with decorated golf carts. Any activity, she was there whooping it up.

Remaining to honor her memory are three children, nine grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren; daughter, Janice (Tracy) Bruce and their three children, granddaughter Sarah (Mike) Schmidt and their three children, great-granddaughters Grace, Kelly, and Caroline, and granddaughter Kate (Eric) Bordelon and their three children, great-grandchildren Seth, Gabriella and Savannah, and grandson Dalton Bruce; son, Dan (Kathy) Sigwards and their three children, granddaughter, Cara (Brandon) Langenfeld and their daughter, great-granddaughter, Ella, granddaughter Alyssa Sigwards, and grandson Lucas Sigwards; son Jim (Linda) Sigwards and their three children, granddaughter Rachel Schier, granddaughter Elaina Sigwards, and grandson Jacob Sigwards. Also remaining to honor her memory is her sister Katherine “Pat” O'Malley, and sisters and brothers in laws, all that she loved dearly. She loved being aunt, great aunt, and great-great-aunt to all of the many nieces and nephews and their families.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Elwood, on Dec. 21, 1997. She was also preceded in death by her parents; by four brothers Charlie, Frank, Santo, and Angelo Loverde; two sisters, Anne Bucaro and Josephine “Josie” Lille; and several nieces and nephews.

Condolences may be sent to www.prestonschilling.com.