Rosa (Rosie to many of her friends) Uriola Lazar was born to Dolores
Alcorta Uriola and John Uriola in Twin Falls, Idaho. She was the only
girl in the family. They moved to Marysville, CA and subsequently to
Modesto where she met and married John R. Lazar in 1952.

She was of Basque descent and carried with her a flare and style
befitting that culture. One of her many talents was the ability to make
conversation with people she did not necessarily know very well. She
knew how to draw them in and make them feel like they'd never been
strangers.

Rosie was the keeper of good spirits in the neighborhood. She watched
out for her neighbors with a keen eye and an open ear, especially the
cats and dogs which were so close to her heart. She was a real animal
lover excluding; of course, the occasional possum that would invade her
yard and eat Finny's food.

Rosie was a career woman long before it was fashionable to be one. She
traveled all over the country training telephone operators and
troubleshooting for AT&T when it was still known as the monopolizing "Ma
Bell."

She was especially radiant when it was time to go out. She was the
consummate socializer. She loved to go shopping, go out to eat, visit
friends and all the while telling stories of spending time in San
Francisco and Lake Tahoe with co-workers in her early years. She had
fine taste in clothes and jewelry and took great pride in decorating
their cherished home in Modesto.

She had a close group of friends to which she referred as "the club;" a
tight group of friends that enjoyed entertaining each other on a regular
basis.

She is survived by John R Lazar, her husband of 59 years, and a
multitude of friends and neighbors who loved her very much.

A Mass will be held at St Stanislaus Church, (7th and J Street,
Modesto), Tuesday, August 2nd at 1 PM. Private internment.

Turlock Journal
Saturday, July 30, 2011