Joan Rosen Obituary

Rosen, Joan Claire McMahon 90, a native of Chicago, passed away April 14 in McLean, Virginia after a long illness. She was the widow of Captain Ralph J. Rosen, USN-retired, also from Chicago, who died May 11, 2010. Joan was born January 1, 1923, the daughter of the late Assistant States Attorney John J. McMahon and the late Eleanor Probst. Joan and Ralph both grew up on the near North Side, and she attended Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School and Mundelein College. She married Ralph on August 2, 1943 in Virginia Beach, VA, when he was in U.S. Navy flight training during World War II. Ralph made a career as a naval aviator after the war, and Joan was by his side as they moved with their family around the country and the world in the years that followed. She participated in navy wives' associations and community activities in the many places they lived. In 1975, they moved to New Hampshire, where they lived until 2007. She was an active participant in state Republican political activities along with Ralph, who served for eight terms in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. She is survived by her brother, John J. McMahon (Barbara) of Beverly Hills, California; her daughter, Mary Bradford (William) of Silver Spring, Maryland; her son, John J. Rosen and his wife Ines Trias of Barcelona, Spain; and her son, Bill Rosen and his wife Eileen Cahill of Northampton, Massachusetts. She leaves six loving grandchildren, Jennifer, Benjamin, Cristina, Luisa, Lillian and Andrea; three great-grandchildren, Eleanor, Liam and Josephine; and many loving nieces and nephews. Burial will be at Arlington National Cemetery beside her husband. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Messages of condolence may be sent in care of her son Bill Rosen, 2 Laurel Lane, Northampton, MA 01060.