William Henry Dominic Rosso

1916 - 2016  (99 years)

• Name	William Henry Dominic Rosso
  Nickname	Bud
  Born	22 Oct 1916	St. Louis, City, Missouri, United States
  Address	1968	Effingham, Effingham, Illinois, United States
  Died	25 Jan 2016	Effingham, Effingham, Illinois, United States
  Buried	28 Jan 2016	Woodlawn Cemetery, Effingham, Effingham, Illinois, United States
  Gender	Male
  Notes	William H. "Bill" Rosso, a long-time Effingham County resident, died Jan. 25, 2016, at Evergreen Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, at the age of 99. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at Sacred Heart Church, Effingham. Burial will follow in Woodlawn Cemetery, Effingham, with military rites. Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Johnson Funeral Home, 1110 N. 4th Street in Effingham, with 6:30 p.m. Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus Rites. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the FACE orchestra or to a charitable organization of your choice. Online condolences to the family may be left at www.johnsonandsonsfh.com Williiam Henry Dominic Rosso was born in St Louis, Missouri, Oct. 22, 1916, the son of Dominic Rosso and Friedaricka (Frieda) Vogel Rosso. He married Elaine Margaret Gorman in Chicago, March 1, 1946. After 66 years of marriage, Elaine Rosso died Aug. 26, 2012, in Effingham. After attending Southern Illinois University, Bill was graduated from the University of Illinois in 1942 with a degree in Vocational Agriculture. In 1949, he was awarded a Master of Science in Agriculture, also from the University of Illinois. Bill was inducted into the U.S. Army in September 1942. He served with the US Army Air Corps Weather Service in the U.S., Rome and North Africa, where he trained weather briefers. His citations included the American Theater Ribbon, the EAME Theater Ribbon, the World War II Victory Medal, and a Good Conduct Medal. Bill received an honorable discharge in 1946. Bill taught vocational agriculture in Brussels, Illinois, a small Calhoun County town north of St. Louis. He moved to Central Illinois in 1947 and worked for the Soil Conservation Service in Tuscola. He lived for a short time in Hume, where he owned a fertilizer business. He and his family then moved to Altamont, where he taught vocational agriculture at Altamont High School. In 1958, he moved to Effingham where he was Farm Service Representative, Trust Officer, and Vice President at the Effingham State Bank. He retired from the bank at the age of 62. Always interested in music, he taught guitar to finance his college education. He studied violin at the University of Illinois with Paul Rolland. In his first teaching assignment in Brussels, he taught accordion and organized a student orchestra. He played in a dance band in the Tuscola area. While teaching at Altamont High School, he played trumpet with the high school summer band. For several years, he played the violin at Christmas Mass at Sacred Heart Church. In his later years, he entertained at nursing homes in the area with other musicians. Bill helped to organize Fine Arts — County of Effingham (FACE) and the FACE orchestra. He played violin in the FACE orchestra until he was 93 and continued to play the violin until he was 95. His passion for music was equaled by his love of gardening. From the time he was a young teenager, he raised vegetables and flowers. He attended the first Master Gardener class sponsored by the Effingham County U of I Extension Service. In 1997, he was the first Effingham County resident to be named Illinois Outstanding Master Gardener by the University of Illinois. His garden in Effingham was a source of beauty for the neighborhood, and he donated vegetables to those in need. He was featured in a story, "Making the Garden Grow", in the Effingham Daily News March 7, 2001. For a number of years, he raised cattle on a farm West of Effingham. A member of the Knights of Columbus for over 60 years, Bill was inducted into the Springfield Diocese Chapter Hall of Fame in October 2008. He joined the Tuscola council and received his Fourth Degree in Springfield in 1949. He served as the Deputy Grand Knight in the Tuscola council in the early 1950s and as Grand Knight in the Effingham council in 1956-58 and again in 1977. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Effingham Assembly Fourth Degree in 1963. He served as Chartered Faithful Navigator, Chancellor for the Degree Term, and membership director. He edited the council newsletter and attended state conventions. Bill also initiated the “chalice service” for the Effingham Assembly and until 2011 regularly assisted at the presentation of chalices in honor of deceased Knights. As a child, William H. Rosso was a member of St Vincent’s Parish in St. Louis, where he made his first communion in 1924 and was confirmed in 1925. Bill was a member of Sacred Heart Parish in Effingham since 1958, serving as an usher and lector and helping in both the school and parish. He and his wife were members of the Confraternity for Christian Doctrine and assisted in educational programs for high school students at the parish. Bill and Elaine enjoyed traveling and participated in Elder Hostel trips in Europe and the United States. During his years in Effingham County, Bill was active in community activities. For the Effingham County Fair, he served as Chairman of the parade committee, ran the vegetable exhibit and, for a time, was director of the Fair Board. He worked with the Effingham County Red Cross, serving as president of the chapter and fund-raising chairman. He was director of the Effingham County Soil Conservation District and organized a pasture improvement contest. Bill was also a member of the Board of the Effingham County 4-H Foundation, and in 1998, he served as its President. Bill was a life member of the Effingham American Legion and VFW posts. In earlier years, he was a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks, Lodge No. 1016, and attended a national convention as a member of the judging team. Bill is survived by three children and their spouses, Margaret (Peggy) Grossman and Michael Grossman of Urbana, William H. Rosso, Jr. and Susan Drake Rosso of Gurnee, and Patricia Rosso and Robert Smilowitz of Brooklyn, New York. He is also survived by six grandchildren, Aaron (Charnella) Grossman, Daniel Grossman, Nathaniel (Elise Frawley) Smilowitz, Michael Smilowitz, Matthew Rosso, and Jessie Rosso. He is also survived by a brother Dominic Rosso of St. Louis and nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Elaine Gorman Rosso; parents, Dominic and Frieda Vogel Rosso; and four sisters, Julia Nogalski, Pauline Rosso, Marie Hucke, and Ruth Sliment. - Effingham Daily News, January 25 2016 Alternate birthdate 26 Oct 1917 (unknown source); replaced with birthdate 22 Oct 1916 from obituary, Jan 2016.
  Person ID	I137	tree1
  Last Modified	25 Jan 2016

  
  

  Father	Dominic Anthony Rosso, II,   b. 24 Feb 1883, St. Louis, City, Missouri, United States ,   d. 25 Sep 1945  (Age 62 years)
  Mother	Friedaricka A. Vogel,   b. 28 Aug 1888,   d. 4 Aug 1968, St. Elizabeth's Hospital, Belleville, St. Clair, Illinois, United States  (Age 79 years)
  Married	11 Oct 1911	St. Louis, City, Missouri, United States   [1]
  Census	1930	Stookey, St. Clair, Illinois, United States
  	1930 Census - Stookey, St. Clair, IL. Dominic 47, Frieda 42, Marie 17, Pauline 15, William 13, Dominic 8, Ruth 2, William Vogel 25 ("boarder")
  Photos		Rosso house in 2011 Former home of Dominic and Frieda Rosso, on Illinois 163 north of Millstadt.
  Family ID	F5	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Elaine Margaret Mary Gorman,   b. 22 Feb 1918, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States ,   d. 26 Aug 2012, St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital, Effingham, Effingham, Illinois, United States  (Age 94 years)
  Married	1 Mar 1946
  Children	+ 1. M. Rosso + 2. W.H. Rosso, Jr. + 3. P. Rosso
  Last Modified	28 Sep 2014
  Family ID	F101	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Photos » Slide Show		William "Bud" Rosso
  		Bud Rosso in 1984
  		Wedding of William Rosso and Elaine Gorman Wedding of William Rosso and Elaine Gorman, 1946
  		William H. "Bud" Rosso, 1940s William H. "Bud" Rosso, 1940s
  		William H. "Bud" Rosso
  		William H. "Bud" Rosso, ca 1940s Unlabeled photo identified as Bud Rosso by Leon Hucke and by Bob Hucke.
  		William H. Rosso, ca. 1940s "Bud" Rosso in uniform; identified by his brother Dominic & sister Ruth, 2012.
  		Illinois Agriculturist, 1942 Illinois Agriculturist, 1942 staff page featuring William H. Rosso in group photo at bottom.
  		William "Bud" Rosso Identified by Ruth and Dominic Rosso, 2012

  
  

• Sources

  [S54] Obituary - Frieda Vogel Rosso. "She married Dominic A. Rosso in St. Louis on October 11, 1911."