ROSEMARY JANE LANZA

Rosemary Jane (Hawkins) Lanza, 96, of Galt passed away peacefully after a short
illness on January 12, 2025.
Rosemary was born in Berkeley, California on September 19, 1928 to her parents,
Wayne and Jessie (Garliepp) Hawkins, joining her older brothers, Robert, John, and Thomas.
She was raised in Antioch, California until the start of World War II, when she moved with her
parents to the city of San Francisco when her father volunteered for the Marine Corps. She
attended and graduated from St. Rose Academy. Upon graduation, Rosemary was trained to
work with early IBM computing machines, a job that she did until meeting John Lanza at her
brother Robert’s wedding. They married in San Francisco in 1948 and began their family shortly
thereafter in Stockton before moving back to the Bay Area with their sons, John and Thomas
and daughters, Kathleen and Maureen. In 1958, the family of six moved to Galt, where they
quickly became a part of the community. Rosemary’s last two sons, Ronald and Terry, were born
after the family settled into their home on the corner of F and 6th Streets.
As her children grew, Rosemary became a mother to many throughout Galt. Her home
was always open to her children’s friends, especially her 6th street kids. She spent summers
running the Galt Pool and the school year working as a Teacher’s Assistant in kindergarten, a
job she loved for the 30 years that she spent at Fairsite Elementary. She retired in 1997, but she
continued volunteering at schools and working with the teachers that she loved.
Rosemary spent her retirement watching old westerns, working in her garden, and
drinking good wine. She loved John Wayne and Dean Martin and romance novels, but, far more
than anything else, she loved her family and her church, St. Christopher’s. She served for many
years as a lector and eucharistic minister and nothing gave her more joy than seeing her
grandchildren and great-grandchildren receiving their sacraments. She loved hosting her family
and attending their sports games, swim meets, dance recitals, and any school event they were
a part of.
Rosemary was predeceased by her beloved sons, John and Ronald, as well as her
parents and brothers. She is survived by her children Tom Lanza, Kathleen (Jimmy) Whirlow,
Maureen Palmer, and Terry Lanza. In addition, she is survived by her grandchildren Kami
(Brandt) Rossi, Christopher (Audrey) Whirlow, Anthony Whirlow, Olivia (Adam) Gandy, Karla
(Jeffrey) Goehring, Deanne Lanza, Tera Lanza, Lisa (Joshua) Silvia, Felicia Lanza, Sarah
Lanza, Terry Lanza, and Robert (Jennifer) Lanza, and 17 great-grandchildren.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Christopher’s Church. A memorial
celebration will be held February 25, 2025 @ 11:00AM.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to St. Christopher's Church in Galt, Ca or Hospice of San Joaquin.

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