Rosemarie Heaney Baker
Rosemarie Heaney Baker left us on Aug. 21, 2023, after a brief illness. One of the last “Sterling Babies,” she was the fourth of seven daughters born to John Heaney and Helen Sobieray on Jan. 5, 1963, at Greenport Hospital.
Predeceased by her parents and brothers-in-law Bobby and Jeff, she is survived by her husband of 10 years, Keith; her in-laws Jack and Jackie Baker; her six sisters, Katherine (Robert {d}), Gwendolyn (Garry), Theresa (Jeff {d}), Annemarie (Kenneth), Patricia (John), Jennifer (Edward Jr.); her godchildren, Nicole and Kassandra; as well as 11 additional nieces and nephews; and 10 grandnieces and -nephews.
The woman everyone affectionately knew as Rose graduated from Greenport High School in 1981. She received an associate degree in engineering at SUNY/Morrisville (It is worth noting that she was the only female in the program at that time). After her associate’s, Rose completed her computer programming certificate at Computer Science Corporation.
A lifelong North Fork resident, Rose was a fixture as a bartender, waitress and manager of Skipper’s Restaurant in Greenport. Although Rose left full-time restaurant employment in 1990 when she went to work for Anchor Computer, she remained the Saturday lunch bartender at Skipper’s, where she had a cult-like following.
Rose had her own gravity; people were inexplicably drawn to her infectious smile and no-nonsense personality.
There are so many examples of how Rose made a difference in the lives of others. Rose has been on the Board of the Greenport All-Class Reunion since that event’s inception and she has played an integral role in the continued success of the B. Timothy, Shawn T. and Kerry P. Heaney Memorial Scholarship.
Rose supported the local food pantry as well as numerous other causes. Yet just like her parents, her work for others was done without fanfare or any desire for recognition. She was truly the embodiment of the communal values both Jack and Helen cemented in their family — a woman of resolute character with a binary sense of right and wrong.
When Rose wasn’t making the world a better place, you could find her cheering for the New York Giants, searching for beach glass on the Sound with Hemi, or spending time with her six sisters, their husbands and their children.
It was a “bizarre,” yet fateful encounter with a patron who entered Skipper’s without shoes on in 2000 which would change the trajectory of her existence. After throwing Keith out of Skipper’s, he went to his 1973 Buick Centurion, grabbed a pair of white rubber clam boots, immediately returned to the restaurant and, as they say, the rest is history.
Those of us who were the closest to Rose joked about how her life was divided into two time periods; before Keith (BK) and after Keith (AK). Although there are so many wonderful stories and family memories BK, it was AK where Rose found her complete fulfillment; he was her “home.”
At this moment it feels like the “middle” has been ripped away from us. Yet, as friends and family gather to try and rationalize this unspeakable loss, the tears of sorrow are often drowned out by chuckles and intense laughter as we remember the countless moments of joy Rose brought to our lives. And over time our smiles and laughter will be a tribute to Rose’s legacy.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Dylan Newman Forever 5 Foundation, 485 Gardiners Lane, Southold, NY 11971 or the Cindy Goldsmith-Agosta Fund, P.O. Box 758, East Marion, NY 11939.
This is a paid notice.
