ROSEMARY ("ROSIE") TODD (1-21-1943--1-1-1961) Hi. I am Angela ("Angie") Frances Todd, born Tuesday, July 1, 1947 in Saint Joseph's Hospital, Logansport, Cass County, Indiana. All that you are now reading is in memory of my cousin, Rosie, who died on her parents' 23rd wedding anniversary, New Year's Day, 1961, only 20 days short of her 18th birthday. The article below, is another in a series of newspaper articles written about Rosie's life, her open-heart surgery, her death, and beyond. Today, Wednesday, January 21, 2009, would have been her 66th birthday. About these people, mentioned in the article below. Four, who have since passed away, are buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, Logansport, Cass County, Indiana. They are: 1. ROSIE (1-21-1943--1-1-1961) 2. Her father, PAUL RAYMOND TODD, Sr. (6-26-1915--5-15-2005) 3. Her mother, RUTH MAY POTTS TODD (4-16-1918--6-27-1980) 4. Her sister-in-law, NELLIE ROSS TODD. Nellie was the wife of Rosie's brother, Thomas ("Tom") Norman Todd. Tom and Nellie's recent marriage was noted in the article below. ______________________________________________ The article: "Pharos-Tribune" newspaper, Logansport, Cass County, Indiana. Wednesday evening, December 21, 1960. Page six, column one. 'Early Christmas For Logan Girl, Facing Delicate Heart Surgery." Byline: "Leaves Dec. 25 For Mayo Clinic" Another black-and-white square-shaped photo appears. In my mind, I still see it in color. Rosie again appears with pale skin, light brown hair, white 1950's style glasses, wearing what appears to be a white or cream-colored, button-down, long-sleeved, bulky-knit sweater with collar. She is sitting in an overstuffed dark-colored chair with long, white, crocheted doilies on the arms of the chair. She is sitting on the right side of the photo, facing left. On her right side (the background) is a "fat" Christmas tree, decorated with candy canes, strings of popcorn, and scads of other ornaments. In Rosie's lap is a large flat package with a large criss-crossed dark ribbon with a large decorative bow in the center of the ribbon. I guess the ribbon and bow are medium-red. Her right hand, the hand closest to the tree, is grasping and pulling loose another ribbon. I can't tell if the ribbon is from the same gift or a second gift. The caption under the photo says: "Rosemary Todd opens her Christmas gifts (Staff Photo) The article reads: The Christmas tree went up early this year in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Todd, of rural route 3, Logansport. Most of the gifts have been opened, and all of them will have been unpacked before Christmas Eve. Rosemary goes to the Mayo clinic in Rochester, Minn., early Christmas morning to undergo a delicate heart operation. When she was six years old, Rosemary suffered an attack of rheumatic fever. Last year she was hospitalized 16 weeks following a heart attack. Doctors at the Mayo Clinic told her in August some of her blood had a tendency to remain in her heart instead of flowing through her body, thus causing the heart to work much harder. THE TRIP TO the northern city will be made in a 1961 sedan that will leave Logansport at 5 a.m. Sunday. With Rosemary will be her father and mother who will remain in Rochester until she recovers from the operation and is able to make the return trip. If the weather is too severe Sunday, the trip will be made by train. Her clinic appointment is for 8 a.m. Dec. 27, with the operation scheduled for Dec. 30. She will be 18 years old on January 21, and hopes to be home for a birthday cake at that time. On a strict diet for more than a year, she hasn't tasted cake during that time. SPECIAL FOOD will be prepared by her mother for the trip, expected to require two days. Confident, but practically inactive since she became seriously ill last year, Rosemary weighs 80 pounds, about 25 pounds less than she should weigh. She has just completed the first semester of her senior high school year under the tutelage of Miss Mary Bradfield, retired teacher of Washington township, and hopes to conclude her high school education after she returns to Logansport. Her teacher, supplied by the state of Indiana, gave her a week away from her studies to rest for the operation. SHE GOES TO the Mayo Clinic assured that all blood used will be replaced by the Cass county Chapter of the Red Cross. Twenty-four pints were given in her behalf when the bloodmobile visited the Bunker Hill AFB on Nov. 9, and an additional 16 pints have been earmarked by donors during the past two visits here. Fifteen pints of special type "B" positive blood will be used at the hospital on Dec. 30, and will be placed in a heart-lung machine that will use the fresh blood through vessels in the leg and throat, to bypass the heart during the delicate operation. The operation was delayed several weeks until 15 persons with the special type blood could become available on the same day. ROSEMARY RESTED all of last week in order to be able to attend the wedding Dec. 18 of her brother Tom, and Nellie Ross of rural route 6, city. It was the only major activity in which she has participated during the past several weeks. Even her Sunday trips to church have been limited because of her declining health. As she prepares to leave for her operation, Rosemary is deeply grateful for the many gifts that have come to her during the Christmas season and for the many blood donations made by known and unknown friends throughout the area. ______________________________________________ Angie's comments. While Rosie and parents were gone, her youngest sibling, the only one still remaining at home, Martha Alice Todd, another pretty girl, stayed at my parents' home. They were Francis ("Frank") Leverett Todd (12-12-1918--10-7-1984) and Evaleen Rosemary Murphy Todd (7-3-1924--3-5-1987) who resided at 1005 East Broadway, only a couple blocks from downtown Logansport. Martha had red hair. Brother, Tom and sister, Barbara Jean, had blonde hair. Brother Paul Ray had medium-dark brown hair, and Rosie had light brown hair. Sometimes, people would mix up my mother and my cousin because of their similar names. Mom was known as "Rosemary" and COUSIN Rosemary was known to most as "Rosie." To add more confusion, there was a Rosemary Murphy who had won the title of "Mrs. America." A neighbor of Mom's mother, Olive Lavena Steen Murphy, came running over to Gramma Murphy, all excited that her daughter had won this fabulous title. Gramma Murphy had to explain that Mom was MISS Rosemary Murphy (Todd) and the woman who had won the title was MRS. Rosemary Murphy. Moving along, during Martha's stay at our house, she and my sister, Marie went to the movies at the State Theatre in downtown Logansport on East Market Street. A few doors down from the theatre, on the corner of East Market and Third streets, was our Uncle Ralph's store, which was started in 1935. This was "Todd's Appliances," later known as, "Todd's, Inc." Anyway, I remember the movies that Martha and Marie went to. They were, "Li'l Abner" and "Gypsy Rose Lee." Or was it called, "The Stripper?" Hmm. We had fun later singing, Gypsy's theme song, "Let me entertain you." On a sad note, I remember that one of Martha's letters to Rosie and parents was returned to Martha because she had mistakenly addressed it to "Rochester, Indiana" instead of "Rochester, Minnesota." Martha, as Rosie, was a joy to be around. I deeply miss my cousins, both living and otherwise. Angela