R.I.P. Rosaleen

[gsk8]

Rosaleen Kaye (@Rosaleen) passed away on Aug 15, 2024, 15 years after suffering a stroke.

I will always have a special place in my heart for Rosaleen. She was one of the biggest figure skating enthusiasts I had ever known! She had such a deep knowledge of the sport and was always excited to share her thoughts with me on everything skating-related before her stroke. We logged in hundreds of hours of phone conversations together and she never ceased to amaze me with her passion.

Luckily after her stroke, Rosaleen had a friend (@kalamalka) whom she met in 1999 that was able to visit her from time-to-time. There were also many members who did not know her who joined us in sending her Christmas Cards every year. I'm sure they were very much appreciated and made her smile!

While she could no longer speak nor communicate (long-distance) after her stroke, her love for the sport never faltered. I never took for granted the contributions she made to the forum in the early days and will miss her dearly.

Rest in peace, Rosaleen and glide with the angles!

 

[TallyT]

My sympathies to you and all here who knew her.

 

[el henry]

I did not "know" Rosaleen but heard many good things about her. May she rest in peace and my sympathies to her loved ones.

 

[streams4dreams]

Very sorry to hear that. Even without having met her, I thought it was so nice to send Christmas cards to a fellow skating fan and appreciate this forum for building such connections.

 

[kalamalka]

Thank you for your post, gsk8, and for starting this thread.

I met Rosaleen in person at the first 4CC in Halifax in 1999, but I'd been reading her posts on Skatefans and RSSIF for about 5 years. Many of the early skating fans on the internet were computer programmers or librarians - Rosaleen was a systems analyst. She skated (dance, never competitive stream - there wasn't enough money when she was growing up for serious training) until she broke her ankle badly in her 40s. She was one of the first people to do detailed posts on competitions she attended in the pre-streaming days. She would always take notes on every skater - first on paper, then a PalmPilot, and eventually a laptop, and she would initially post at the end of the day, then once wifi was available, live or almost live. For about the last 10 years before her devastating stroke, she used all her vacation time for skating events - every Junior Worlds, every major event in Canada and international event in the US, and then Worlds every year. Once I moved back to BC in 2001, I started going to Canadians and SCI with her, as well as local competitions.

Her stroke almost exactly 15 years ago nearly killed her, and left her with hemiplegia and severe aphasia - while she could read and understand speech, she could no longer talk or write, and used a power wheelchair. She lived in a care facility, and had almost no family contact after her mother died several years ago, but she remained in good spirits almost all the time, right up to the night before her death, and appreciated staying in contact as much as possible with the skating community - attending events in Vancouver, going to SOI every year, reading GoldenSkate and FSU when she could (she could navigate on a computer as long as she just had to click, not enter any text). I would go to Vancouver as often as possible, especially during the season, so that we could watch streams of events together, including JGPs and Junior Worlds, since we both liked to watch skaters develop. (As an aside, it has been great since there's been so much more skating streamed, but also challenging for people like Rosaleen who need assistance to be able to watch streamed events as skating on broadcast TV has decreased so much in the last few years).

She really appreciated the Christmas cards, and would show them to staff and guests, and there were a few people from the board who sent cards and notes at other times. So thank you all on her behalf.

 

[Diana Delafield]

Sorry to hear this, but happy to know she's free to fly across the ice again. I only "knew" her through the Christmas card list. I'm familiar with the excellent care facility where she was living, and it's nice to know the cards reached her there and she was able to share them with the people around her.

 

[gsk8]

Thank you @kalamalka! I'm so glad she had someone near her who she could enjoy sharing her love of figure skating after the stroke. I'm certain you made a huge difference in her life.

 

[moonvine]

I'm so sorry to hear this news. She sounds like a wonderful person.

 

[Arriba627]

Just seeing this now. Sorry I never had an opportunity to meet her or read her posts. She sounds like she added a fun and informative vibe to the fan scene...I always sent her a card during our annual Christmas card "extravaganza" and always tried to write something special to her...She is gliding with the angels! RIP.

@kalamalka You are a very special person.

 

[FaustinaF]

I'm so sorry I came so late to this sad news. I read your stories, @gsk8 and @kalamalka, it was touching for me. I'm happy I could helped her a little with a smile sending her Christmas cards. I will hardly forget her even if I never met her, since Christmas cards exchange had been the way to cross our lives each other. I will pray for her. RIP dear Rosaleen!