My Family
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Hilda and Walter met during the second world war where my father was an Army infantry sergeant in Europe and my mother was a Coast Guard radio operator stationed in the US. My father had been wounded and returned to the United States to recover from his wounds.
My mother had been married briefly earlier in the war to a sailor who had been lost at sea.
My mother, whose maiden name was Carroll, being the oldest girl of 10 children, was called 'Sis' her whole life. Even my father called her that until the day he died.
The happy couple married soon after the war and lived in my father's home town of Tulsa Oklahoma.
In 1950, after many years of trying, they had a son, Walter Neal Rosier II, whom they quickly gave the nickname 'Flip' that has stuck with him his whole life.
A few months after my birth, the family moved to my mother's hometown of Cambridge Massachusetts and moved into the bottom floor of a house where my grandfather, grandmother, and their two youngest children, my Uncle Bob and my Aunt Barbara lived on the top floor. My father went to work delivering milk to homes (yes, they actually came to your house and delivered milk, butter, eggs etc. back then).
In 1952 the family welcomed my sister, Robyn Carroll Rosier into the home. I now had a little sister to torture (just ask her) and play with and was delighted. The family wasn't rich, but we didn't realize that and were for the most part happy.
In 1954 the baby of the family arrived. Wesley Ray Rosier was born and quickly assumed his role as youngest sibling and new target of my pestering. Our family was now complete.
In 1955, an event happened that changed our extended family forever. My grandfather died and my father took over the role as head of the family. My aunt and uncle were in high school at the time and were already looking up to my father as their surrogate father. That was the year that my father moved to Sacramento California to stay with my mother's oldest brother, Uncle Art and look for work. Six months later my father was working steady (yes, they even delivered milk to your door in California in 1955), had found us a home, and sent for his family to join him there. The trip across country was an event that stuck in my 5 year old mind and one I remember to this day. In a ford station wagon (white over red) were my mother, my Aunt Barbara, and we three children ages 5, 3, and less than 1 year. In my Uncle Bob's car (blue roadster) was my Nanna, keeping a vigilant eye on Uncle Bob's driving and speed. My clearest memory of that trip is of driving across the american desert with my Aunt Barbara holding one of my brother's diapers out the side window to dry.
My father became a letter carrier for the US Postal Service, my mother a teletype operator for the Air Force Strategic Air Command (SAC) and we kids began the business of going to school and growing up.
In April of 1962, my mother and father were in an automobile accident where my father was killed and my mother was left seriously injured.
My mother remarried a few years later and I left home in the summer of 1966. I drove my Chevrolet Corvair (light blue 4 speed) to the Los Angeles area to begin making my life on my own.(I tried Haight-Ashbury for a bit, but ended in LA) Being a teenager and free in Southern California during the late 60's was an experience I could write a book on.
Sometime in the last half of that decade my mother, stepfather, sister and brother moved to Bellingham Washington. About the same time I realized that if I didn't want to be a foot soldier in Viet Nam, I had better stop living the life of a hippy and do something quick. I joined the US Navy in 1968 and spent 4 years there as an avionics technician and got my high school diploma.
In 1972 I mustered out of the Navy and returned to Southern California. My former friends were either gone (the war had taken some) or still into the hippy lifestyle and now viewed me as the enemy. (that was the political climate of the times) I went to college for a while on my GI Bill and then decided to head out once again.
I packed what belongings I wanted in a backpack and carrying my guitar case, stuck out my thumb and headed east. After a few weeks of adventures I finally landed in Nutley, New Jersey.
When my brother was about 21, he moved from Washington State back to Northern California. My stepfather and mother divorced soon afterwards and with Mom and Robyn in Washington, Wes in California, and me in New Jersey, our family was spread across the country.
During my time in New Jersey I went to college and worked for a local newspaper. I then got married, had 2 sons (Trey Francis Rosier and Wesley Neal Rosier) and was divorced in rapid succession.
In 1975 I loaded up my van and moved to Fort Lauderdale Florida. (yes, I still supported my sons) In 1976 I finally contacted my mother and sister in Washington after being out of touch for 10 years. Some time after that they came to Florida to visit me. After returning to Washington, they soon decided to move to Florida. They contacted my brother in California and convinced him to drive his van up there, load all their belongings in it plus a rented trailer, and drive them across country to Fort Lauderdale. The plan was for him to stay a few weeks and then return to California ..... he still lives in Fort Lauderdale to this day, married and happy.
In 1989 my mother died at home after a long illness with her 3 children at her side.
In 1990 I remarried, had 2 beautiful daughters (Samantha Carroll Rosier and Rachael Leah Rosier) and divorced in rapid succession. (do you see a pattern forming here?)
I now live alone in Coral Springs Florida working as a software engineer/computer programmer for a company that runs an online database service, within miles of both my brother who works in the construction field and my sister who works for a newspaper. I have my daughters Samantha and Rachael with me every other weekend. I can't imagine my life without my girls in it.
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