Rosemarie Anderson
Rosemarie (Bertarini) Anderson of Santa Barbara, passed away peacefully on January 7, 2026, at the age of 89. Rosemarie, an only child, was born in Santa Barbara on October 5, 1936, to Serafino and Maria Bertarini, both immigrants from Italy who instilled strong family values in her.
Rosemarie attended Dolores Catholic School from kindergarten through eighth grade and later graduated from Santa Barbara Catholic High School. She went on to attend Hart Business College and landed a job at KEYT from 1955 to 1959, where she wrote the daily production scripts. It was during this time that a friend set her up on a blind date with Bill “Andy” Anderson. What began as a lighthearted introduction quickly became a lifelong partnership. Rosemarie and Bill were married on June 8, 1957, and started a family two years later.
Together they had three sons—Jeff, Michael, and Brian—all of whom were born and raised in Santa Barbara. While raising her boys, Rosemarie began a career with the Goleta DMV, where she worked for 30 years until her retirement. She moved up through the ranks to become branch manager and helped countless residents throughout the years. Rosemarie kept busy with a variety of hobbies. She was a member of the Channel City Kennel Club, and she and her family traveled in their camper while competitively showing dogs for several years. She also served as the den mother for her sons’ Cub Scout troop. Rosemarie loved baking cakes for family and friends’ birthdays, weddings, and special occasions, and she took great pride in creating themed birthday cakes for her grandchildren.
After retiring, Rosemarie volunteered extensively and served as president of the Breast Cancer Resource Center. She also remained active at St. Raphael Catholic Church, where she attended for most of her life.
In 2007, Rosemarie suffered a massive stroke that changed her life. Despite paralysis and other disabilities, she fought tirelessly to regain as much independence as possible.
Rosemarie lived at the Santa Barbara Convalescent Hospital (now known as The Californian) for 18 years, making her their longest-living resident. During her time there, she ran the activities committee and planned countless bake and craft sales. The Californian became her second home, and the staff her second family. Her family will be forever grateful for the compassion, care, and support they provided her throughout the years.
Rosemarie is survived by her sons Michael and Brian; daughters-in-law Carol, Dottie and Lisa; her grandchildren Allen (Shelby), Nicole (Mike), Christine (Victor), and Danielle; and her great-grandchildren Aubree, Carter, Jaxon, Melanie, and Leilani, along with numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband of 48 years, Bill, and her oldest son, Jeff.
A funeral service will be held at St. Raphael’s Church in Goleta on Friday, February 13, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., with a reception to follow.
In lieu of flowers, Rosemarie requested that donations be made to the Breast Cancer Resource Center of Santa Barbara or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
