Rosemary Marcovecchio Vaccaro

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Her grandchildren brought her a deep joy and she cultivated a special relationship with each.

Rosemary Marcovecchio Vaccaro, longtime Draper and Salt Lake valley resident, spent much of her kind and gentle life concerned about plants: what to grow, what seed to use, how much water was needed, when to harvest, what to plant for next year.

Rose, as everyone called her, died peacefully on Thursday, Sept. 3 at Carrington Memory Care in South Jordan after a two-month struggle with brain cancer and a lifelong love of all things agricultural. She was 95.

Rose grew up on a farm in Murray and later joined her parents, husband, two brothers and their families at a new farm at 12300 South and Interstate 15. There they became a Draper legacy family, creating an enterprise known as Greenbriar Farms that chiefly grew vegetables on several hundred acres where The Loveland Living Aquarium now sits.

The family sold the farm in 1980 but continued to raise crops until well into the 1990s. Rose and her immediate family moved to New Hope Drive in Draper where she lived for the past 45 years. She did not stop planting. Each year, she and her family grew a large garden in her back yard, raising vegetables and fruit until just last year, giving away much of the produce to friends and neighbors.

Embracing her Italian heritage, Rose was famous in her family for hosting dinners — 4:30 every Sunday — which expanded through the years as marriages and moves added to the numbers. She also kept up on current events. Despite her reserved manner, she held sharp opinions about politics. When prompted, she could deliver cutting critiques of those who abused their power.

She was an accomplished seamstress. She made many of her children’s clothes and costumes when they were young. She was still sewing late in life with the practiced precision of someone who had conquered their craft.

She delighted in children. Nothing lit up her face as much as seeing young ones. Her grandchildren brought her a deep joy and she cultivated a special relationship with each. And despite her waning mobility in her late years, she watched with amusement on Wednesday grandparents’ day as her great-grandson Clark learned to walk and test kitchen cabinet doors, often looking up with mischief and yelling, “Rose.” Her smile could not have been broader.

Rose was born on Jan. 23, 1931 in Murray to Joe Marcovecchio and Sarah Falsone, both immigrants from Italy and Sicily. She grew up knowing hard work, helping her father, mother and two brothers work the farm where Cottonwood High School now sits. She was a proud graduate of Granite High School.

Rose and her husband, Carl (Kirk) Vaccaro, eloped to Evanston in 1952, much to the family’s chagrin. They were married for 53 years. Eventually, she and Kirk moved to Draper, helping the Marcovechhios establish the Greenbriar operation.

They raised their three children on the farm, later moving to New Hope Drive once the farm was sold. She was active in the community, serving on the Draper Planning and Zoning Commission and the PTA. In her spare time, she bowled for 40 years. Kirk died from complications of a stroke in 2005. Rose had devoted nine years as his primary caregiver. After his death, she found a new relationship with a childhood friend, Grant Maxwell, and the two shared the final 18 years of their lives together. Grant became a fixture in the Vaccaro family, and Rose’s children are grateful for the love and care he showed their mother. Rose and Grant were together until Grant grew ill and died two years ago.

Rose defiantly lived in her house until January of this year, enjoying remarkable health for her age and welcoming all. She sat joyfully and quietly at the end of her kitchen table while visitors came and went.

Her health eventually declined this year and she moved in with family. After her July cancer diagnosis, Rose spent most of the last two months at Carrington Memory Care.

Rose is survived by her three children: Carla Vaccaro Lloyd (Bob) of Sandy, Gloria Vaccaro (Lorenzo A. Archuleta) of Murray and Shawn Vaccaro (Kim) of Draper; her three grandchildren: Dominic Lloyd (Adelis Colon Reveron) of Murray, Sydney Vaccaro (Brayden Erickson) of Salt Lake City and Collin Vaccaro of Draper; and one great-grandson: Clark Robert Lloyd Reveron of Murray. She is also survived by several beloved nieces and nephews on both sides of the Marcovecchio and Vaccaro families.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Carl (Kirk) Vaccaro, and her longtime partner, Grant Maxwell.

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A memorial service will be held Saturday, Sept. 12, at 11 a.m. at Memorial Mortuary, 5850 South 900 East in Murray.

The family wishes to thank the thoughtful care she received in her last months from the sensitive staff at the Carrington Memory Care and Bristol Hospice nurse Chloe.