Rose Opalinski Kolstad, 82, formerly of Northford, Connecticut, died peacefully on Monday, February 20th at the Masonic Home in Wallingford, Connecticut. Rose and her late husband Kaare Kolstad, shared a marriage of 50 years before his passing 2 years ago. Born in New Haven, she was one of seven children of John and Rosalia Wozniak Opalinski. Rose grew up in the New Haven Area of a different age during the 30’s and 40’s with strong family bonds including enjoying long Saturday’s at Savin Rock Park with her sisters. As a young adult, she was an avid ballroom dancer and a certified dance instructor at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio of New Haven.Early in her career she advanced to the position of Executive Administrative Assistant at Southern New England Telephone Company where she worked for many years until starting her family. Rose was a devoted and nurturing mother of five children, Kaare Jr., Kristofer, Kevin, Kirsten, and Karin. She pursued many passions while raising her children including sewing, gourmet cake decorating, holiday craft making, gardening and bird watching. Rose put these talents to work making birthdays and holidays special and memorable for her family and friends. In her later years while living at Ashlar Village in Wallingford, Rose used her creative talents to produce many beautiful watercolor paintings for her family. Additionally, Rose was an active leader in organizations including the Mother of Twins and the Sons of Norway. Her zealous support for her children’s academic and athletic endeavors provided wonderful encouragement and confidence towards future careers. Rose never missed a football or basketball game and could always be heard above the roar of the crowd cheering for her children’s team. She was a warm and very social person who loved to entertain including picnics and Christmas parties for her large extended family. In addition to her children she is survived by 3 siblings: Anna Heins, Francis Doyle, and Helen Churney as well as 8 grandchildren and was the sister to the late Wanda Skarzynski, John Opalinski and Mary Opalinski. She will be deeply missed.
Her funeral procession will leave the North Haven Funeral Home, 36 Washington Avenue, Saturday morning at 9:30. A mass of Christian burial will be celebrated in St. Therese Church at 10:00. Interment will follow in All Saints Cemetery. The visiting hours will be Friday from 4 to 8 pm. In lieu of flowers please send donations to The Masonic Annual Appeal c/o The Mason Charity Foundation of Connecticut, P.O. Box 70, Wallingford, CT 06492.