Rose Mary (Cianciaruso) Egan, 85, was born July 27, 1935, and passed away peacefully on October 12, 2020, in DeSoto, Kansas. She leaves behind a wide circle of family and friends who will miss her deeply. She was the family matriarch ― oldest sister, mother of four, grandmother of 11 and great-grandmother of one.
A native of Des Moines, Rose Mary grew up on the South Side and lived in the Des Moines area until 2017, when she moved to the Kansas City area to be closer to her children.
Rose Mary took pride in her Italian heritage; an Italian flag banner always graced her door. Two highlights of her life were trips to Italy to visit her family’s hometown. She carried on food traditions she learned from her mother and passed them down to future generations ― much to the delight of everyone who enjoyed her cooking. No one left her table hungry.
Her love of numbers and details led her to bookkeeping and administrative jobs at banks, insurance companies, state government and credit unions. She officially retired from Principal Financial in 1997 but returned as a temporary part-time employee in the mortgage department for three more years.
Rose Mary faced and overcame many challenges in her life, including polio as a child; the death of her husband, Bill (whom she met in 1958 and married in 1959), when she was just 35; and a major stroke at age 65. But she persevered and carried on, living life her way to the very end. She loved cooking, reading, playing cards and doing crossword and jigsaw puzzles. She enjoyed her sorority and church activities, socializing with friends and spending time with family (especially her beloved grandchildren) both nearby and across the country. She could (and often did) strike up a conversation with anyone.
Rose Mary is survived by her four children and their spouses (Mike and Lori Egan of Lenexa, KS; Ann Marie Egan and Trent Jones of Washington, DC; Theresa and Jeff Stewart of Shawnee, KS; and Dan and Julie Egan of Scottsdale, AZ); three siblings (Jean and Dick Heger of Des Moines, IA; Barbara and Pat Lyons of Wauwatosa, WI; and Chuck and MaryJo Cianciaruso of Kansas City, MO); 11 grandchildren (Demontaye Clayborne, Tyesha (and Brad) Kelly, Jesi Egan, Trevor Egan, Drew (and Molly) Egan, Haley Egan, Chloe (and Brad) Feagan, Eli Stewart, Simon Stewart, Sydney Egan and Brianna Egan); great-granddaughter Mikayla Clark; sister- and brother-in-law Margie and Terry Horras; sister-in-law Jan Egan; and 17 nieces and nephews and their spouses and children.
Rose Mary is preceded in death by her husband, William (Bill) Egan; her parents, Donato and Maria Cianciaruso; her father- and mother-in-law, Leo and Frances Egan; a brother-in-law, Joe Egan; and a niece and nephew. She attended AIB College of Business in Des Moines and was a member of Alpha Iota Sorority. She was a faithful member of Christ the King Catholic Church in Des Moines until her move to Kansas, where she attended Holy Family Catholic Church in Eudora.
Visitation will be held in Des Moines from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 16, at Tonini Funeral Home, 2135 SW 9th St. (social distancing and masks required). A Mass of Christian Burial will be privately held on Saturday at Christ the King Catholic Church, followed by burial at Glendale Cemetery. The family requests that memorial gifts be directed to Catholic Charities Diocese of Des Moines.
