A L U M N A E S P OT L I G H T:
100 YEARS
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wo SCA centenarians have seen many changes during their ten decades of life. Surrounded by the love of God and family, graduates Rosemary Petre Brunette ’40 and Nell Schindler Ayers ’40 are full of gratitude and hope. ROSEMARY PETRE BRUNETTE
Rosemary Brunette started a family tradition: after she herself attended St. Cecilia, she encouraged so many children, grandchildren, sisters, nieces and great-nieces to attend that it is hard to keep track of them all. Rosemary, or “Grammie Rose” as current SCA history teacher Sara Brunette Strobel ’01 calls her grandmother, was born on the family farm in the Germantown neighborhood of Nashville on June 6, 1921. As one of eight children, she assumed regular farm chores and was an active member at Church of the Assumption. When it was time for high school, Rosemary walked the mile or so to St. Cecilia Academy, where she became fast friends with the other students as well as the Dominican Sisters.“The sisters were so sweet and patient,” she says. She loved them all and still remembers acting as Sister Hildegarde’s flower girl at Sister’s first profession of vows.
Ayers
Rosie was known as an active and lively student. She recalls learning all the latest dance steps from her dad – waltz, fox trot, and polka – and teaching those to her friends at SCA.As her daughter-in-law Anne Love Brunette ’72 relates,“Rosie had good friends and good times and a great education.”
Graduating from St. Cecilia in 1940, Rosemary continued her education and graduated from St.Thomas Hospital Nursing School. When World War II began, she entered the Navy as an ensign and served as a nurse in Portsmouth, Virginia, where she met her future husband and love of her life, Joseph Brunette. (Rosie is quick to remind you that she outranked him!) After Rosie and Joe were married, they went on to have seven children: Mike, Barbara (Trautman ’66), Scott, Marie (McKirnan ’70), Jim, Paul, and Dea (Taylor ’79). Rosie was very happy when the family was able to move back to Nashville in 1963, where they attended St. Henry Church and then St. Ann.
Rosie surrounded by her grandchildren and their spouses on her 100th birthday.
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