SEYMOUR

Rozella “Rosie” Ritchison, 66, of Seymour died Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018.

Rosie was born Rozella Mae Sears on Sept. 2, 1952, in Bedford.

She graduated from Bedford High School in 1970.

She worked for the GM Powertrain foundry in Bedford, retiring after almost 37 years of service.

During her time there, she was active in the United Auto Workers union, where she served as recording secretary, vice president and president. She also was proud to be the first female journeyman diemaker employed by the foundry division of General Motors.

Rosie was an avid adventurer, hiking in the Andes, Himalayas and on the Great Wall of China. She visited the pyramids at Giza, the Sphinx, Valley of the Kings and other historical Egyptian sites.

She also visited the Galapagos Islands to see the giant turtles, swimming iguana and other unique wildlife and also to scuba dive there.

As a certified diver, she took her adventures underwater, diving in the Bahamas, Belize, Bonaire, Caymans, Fiji and the Red Sea. She fell in love with the people and culture in Bali, visiting multiple times.

Rosie made the move from Bedford to Seymour in order to be closer to her son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren during retirement. She enjoyed splashing in the pool with the kids and playing Nintendo video games with them.

She enjoyed reading, watching “Game of Thrones,” “The Walking Dead” and crime dramas and crocheting. She also was a huge Harry Potter fan.

Rosie is survived by her son, Michael “Keith” Collins, and his wife, Angela; grandchildren, Ryan and Ashley; brothers, Mike and Jeff Sears; and sister, Patti.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Merlin L. and Irma Williams Sears, and brother, Tim.

After having symptoms since shortly after her retirement in 2009, she was finally diagnosed with carcinoid cancer, a form of neuroendocrine tumor cancer, also called NETS, in 2012. NETS is a rare form of cancer.