Rosemary S. Mcgregor

Rosemary Margaret Schmitt McGregor; Mother, Grandmother, sister, and friend.  She passed away January 9, 2019, peacefully at home surrounded by her family. She was born May 16, 1921, in Salem, South Dakota to Jacob P. Schmitt and Marie McConville Schmitt. She graduated from St. Mary’s school in Salem, South Dakota and then completed her teacher certification requirements from Eastern State Normal School in 1941.  She began her teaching career in a one room school house in rural South Dakota instructing grades 1 – 8.  She was introduced to her future husband, Gordon “Mac” McGregor in the fall of 1945 and married November 6 of that year.  Shortly thereafter, they moved to the Bay Area of California and bought their first house in El Sobrante, California. Mac and Rosemary began their family and she became a stay-at-home mother.  Their first child, Kathy, was born in 1946. Peggy was born in 1948.  Mac was transferred to Salt Lake in 1950, and the family moved to Centerville, Utah.  In 1955, they were blessed with the birth of Nancy.  Then they moved to Bountiful in 1957.  They were blessed with their fourth daughter, Teresa, in 1959. Their youngest daughter, Mary, was born Christmas Day in 1960.
Upon moving to Utah, Rosemary and Mac were very active in the newly formed parish of St. Olaf Catholic Church, which met in a converted house on Third North in Bountiful.  She was a lifelong member of the Altar Society.  For ten years, Mac coached the church baseball team and Rosemary helped coordinate the Sunday afternoon potlucks at the ball park.  Rosemary served as the advisor of the local Catholic Youth Organization (“CYO”) for many years.  She also served as the chaperone on a bus or train trip cross-country to Philadelphia with a load of high school CYO students. She served the church with her time and effort making Baptismal bibs for 36 years for the new family members baptized at St. Olaf’s.  She stepped in during an emergency once, and taught second grade at St. Olaf’s school for two years (She was “Mrs. McGregor” to her own Teresa and then Mary at school for their second-grade years).  Rosemary served the community as a volunteer at the St. Vincent De Paul soup kitchen. The Salt Lake Diocese honored Rosemary as “Mother of the Year” in the 1990s.
Rosemary and Mac were active golfers, fishers and campers for many years.  Rosemary was still playing golf well into her 80s.  They also participated in a Bridge club and played cards with a couples group, and a ‘Duplicate’ group.  Rosemary enjoyed her membership of a ladies Bridge club until her eye sight failed in her 90s.
Rosemary was an avid seamstress and enjoyed making clothing for her whole family.  She loved making formal dresses for her girls as well as wedding dresses for each of them.  The sewing was especially fun since she shared the tasks with her lifelong best-friend and neighbor, Jeri Stenquist.
After Mac died in June, 1986, Rosemary loved going on trips with some of her daughters in “the motor home.”  She accompanied Peggy to North Carolina to buy the motor home, and they vacationed throughout the south and on home to Utah.  She said her job was that of ‘Navigator.’  After that first trip, it became an annual event to take motor home trips.  The trips were usually to visit her friend, Jeri, who had moved to Oregon.  They also traveled to the Pacific coast to camp at the ocean.  Many hours of fun and laughter were had by all.
Over Rosemary’s lifetime, she has enjoyed watching her family grow and sharing time with each, and every addition. A family which once began with five daughters, and five son-in-laws and now has grown to: 25 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren (with one on the way), and one great-great-grand daughter due to arrive any day.
A life well lived, full of love, friendship and family.  She treasured them all, as we treasure her.
She is survived by four of their five daughters, Margaret “Peggy” (Bart) Rasmussen, Nancy (Ricardo) Saenz, Teresa (Randal) Oster and Mary (Dan) Newman and one sister Helen Mullin. She was preceded in death by her husband Gordon, a brother, Jack Schmitt, and her first born daughter Kathleen and son-in-law Richard Jones.
Services will be held on Sunday, January 13, 2019 at St. Olaf’s Catholic Church, Orchard Drive at 1800 South, Bountiful, Utah. A viewing will be held at the church at 1:00pm, Rosary at 1:30pm, and “Celebration of Life” Mass at 2:00pm with interment immediately following at Memorial Lakeview Cemetery, 1640 E. Lakeview Drive, Bountiful, Utah.
For further details on the amazing life of Rosemary McGregor, visit www.memorialutah.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the McNamara Center “air conditioning fund,” c/o St. Olaf’s Catholic Church, 276 E. 1700 S, Bountiful, Utah, 84010.
Service Information
Viewing January 13, 2019 at 1:00 PM
Saint Olaf Catholic Church, 1800 South Orchard Drive, Bountiful, UT 84010





Funeral Service
January 13, 2019 at 2:00 PM
Saint Olaf Catholic Church, 1800 South Orchard Drive, Bountiful, UT 84010