Rosalie Polkowski House
Rosalie “Rose” Polkowski House, a fifty-year resident of Swarthmore, passed away at her home on November 17, 2019, from cardiovascular heart disease. She was 86.
Born in Dickson City, Pennsylvania, to John and Sallie Polkowski, she was the sixth of 11 children. She suffered from rheumatic fever as a child, which affected her heart. Doctors warned that she might not live past thirty and advised her to never go through childbirth. She proved them wrong on both counts. Throughout her life, she self-treated her chronic condition with a nutritious diet and exercise through gardening.
Rose graduated from Dickson City High School in 1951. She worked for five years as a medical laboratory administrator at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, east of Dayton, where she met her husband. She later became a coordinator for graduate programs at Penn State University.
Rose was married to Frederick Bishop House for 63 years. They lived in State College, Pennsylvania; Dampierre-sur-Blévy, France; Madison, Wisconsin; Chelmsford, Massachusetts; Boulder, Colorado; Yorktown, West Virginia; and Swarthmore. They had four sons and one daughter. All of their children graduated with Bachelors of Science degrees from Drexel University.
A firm believer in helping gifted people who are unable to pay for higher education, Rose was an active member of P.E.O. International for 25 years and held every office in the AM Chapter.
Rose was an avid traveler, often taking family on her adventures. She visited all 50 states in the U.S. and travelled extensively throughout Eastern and Western Europe including Portugal, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, the UK, Monaco, Poland, the Baltic nations, the Czech Republic, and Scandinavia. She also journeyed to Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, Japan, Argentina, and Brazil. She said that you have to smell the air to get a feel for a place.
She perfected her skill in culinary arts starting with her time in France and believed that nutrition starts in the garden. Food can burst with flavor without a grain of salt being added. She specialized in a number of entrées that proudly showcased her Polish heritage and found healthy alternatives to processed foods and prescription medicines.
Rose is survived by her husband, Frederick; her children, Matthew, Edward, Gregory, and Mary; sixteen grandchildren; and her dear sisters Antoinette, Mary, and Charlotte. She was predeceased by her son, Frederick Joseph, and seven siblings.
She was a longtime parishioner of Notre Dame de Lourdes and Saint Kevin’s Catholic churches. A funeral mass will be held at St. Mary’s Church on Friday, December 6, at 10:30 a.m. in Dickson City, Pa., followed by a burial ceremony and a reception. The family welcomes all to join in celebrating her life.
Online condolences: www.donohuefuneralhome.com. Arrg: Knoetgen-Donohue Funeral Home.
