Rosylee "Rose" (McKeon) Menozzi

Rosylee “Rose” (McKeon) Menozzi, age 88, passed away peacefully on September 6, 2026.

Rose brought joy to everyone she encountered. She had a special presence that was felt by everyone, from family and friends to those she had just met. She was selfless, generous, fun, and simply someone people loved being around. We will all miss her terribly, but we take comfort in believing that she is at peace and has moved on to a better place.

A lifelong resident of Joliet, Rose was born on July 25, 1938, to Bill and Anne (Legan) McKeon. She attended St. Raymond’s for elementary school and Joliet Township High School, class of 1956. After high school, she worked for a time as a secretary at Electro-Motive before marrying Jerry Menozzi on June 14, 1958. After her children were grown, she returned to work as a salesclerk at Wieboldt’s and later Kohl’s.

Rose’s true passion in life, however, was her family and her role as a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, for which she was affectionately known by her grandchildren as “Onie”. She was also a beloved daughter, sister, wife, aunt, and friend. She was very active in her children’s school and extracurricular activities, including Scouts and sports. An accomplished athlete in her youth, Rose continued to enjoy sports as an adult and became an excellent bowler and golfer.

Rose shared especially close relationships with her two sisters—the McKeon girls! Proud of her Irish heritage, she carried forward the unconditional love, good times, and family traditions she learned from her parents. She was the much-loved “Aunt Rose” to her adoring nieces and nephews. Always the life of the party, Rose was an avid cardplayer, enjoying countless games of Hand and Foot with her family and Knock-Knock with her sister Pollyanne. 

Rose was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Jerry Menozzi; her infant daughter, Laurene Menozzi; her parents, Bill and Anne (Legan) McKeon; her sisters, Pollyanne Pucel and Joan Vollmer; and her nephew, John “Dick” Pucel Jr.

She is survived by her loving children, Marcia (John) Wood, Jay (Angela) Menozzi, and Maria Addison (Eric Breisch); her grandchildren, Johnny (Joanna) Wood, Katelyn (Brian) Rathbun, Anna Wood, Alyssa Wood, Andrew Wood, Leah Wood, Jillian Wood, Vincent Menozzi, Nina Menozzi, Clara Menozzi, David (Fallyn) Addison, Kaitlin Breisch, and Alexis Breisch; and her great-grandchildren, Hank Ganschow, Liam Rathbun, Lillian Rathbun, Adaline Rathbun, Stella Addison, and Duke Addison. Rose is also survived by extended family, friends, and loved ones too numerous to name individually.

Rose’s family would like to express their deepest gratitude to her devoted caregiver, Cecie Mihelcich, for the exceptional care, kindness, and love she gave Rose, and to Regina Fernandez for her care and support.

The family is especially grateful to Anand Germanwala, M.D., whose extraordinary skill and compassion gave Rose the opportunity to continue a life she cherished. Following Rose’s traumatic brain injury five years ago, Dr. Germanwala performed the emergency craniectomy that saved her life and guided her care throughout the critical weeks that followed. He later performed her cranioplasty and remained a source of compassion, guidance, and reassurance to Rose and her family throughout her long road to recovery. Rose’s family will forever be grateful to Dr. Germanwala not only for saving her life, but for the extraordinary kindness and humanity he showed Rose and those who loved her.

The family is also profoundly grateful to Patricia Peterson, APN, whose extraordinary compassion and unwavering availability, day or night, brought tremendous comfort and reassurance to Rose and her family, and to Kristen Hill, APN, for her compassionate care and support. Their dedication helped provide Rose with comfort and dignity, and the family will always be grateful for the kindness and care they showed her.

A Celebration of Life visitation will be held at Tezak’s Funeral Home, 1211 Plainfield Road, Joliet, Illinois 60435, on Friday, September 18, 2026, from 3:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. 

All guests are invited to gather again at Tezak’s Funeral Home on Saturday, September 19, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. until 9:15 a.m. for closing prayers before traveling in procession to the Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus, 604 North Raynor Avenue, Joliet, Illinois, for a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m. In accordance with Rose’s wishes, cremation rites will follow. Inurnment will take place at Resurrection Cemetery, 200 West Romeo Road, Romeoville, Illinois, on Monday, September 21, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. 

In lieu of flowers, donations in Rose’s memory to AT Children’s Project (www.atcp.org) would be greatly appreciated. Rose’s obituary and tribute wall are available at www.tezakfuneralhome.com.

Arrangements entrusted to Tezak’s Funeral Home.