Rosalie Richter Bolner, loving wife, devoted mom and grandmother, civic leader, cook extraordinaire and accomplished musician died at her home on November 18, after an eight year battle with Alzheimer's.

Rosalie was born in San Antonio June 6, 1929 to Otto W T and Aleen Chavez Richter. She was a direct descendant of the Canary Island families of Curbelo, de Armas, Padron and Travleso.

She is survived by her husband of nearly 60 years, Clifton J. Bolner. She was the oldest of 7 children; 4 of her siblings survive her: Barbara & Anton Hajek, Joan & Pat Kennedy, Otto Jr. & Patty Richter, Thomas & Joy Richter and sister-in-law and brother-in-law Peggy and Harvey Penshorn. She was preceded by both her parents, brother Otto Paul and her sister Christina Richter Engels.

Rosalie and Clifton were married in San Antonio at St. Mary's Church downtown on January 26, 1949. The couple has 7 children and 19 grandchildren, who knew her as Nana: Tim & Judy Bolner (Greg, Matt & Lauren), Mike & Mary Pat Bolner (Jeff & Kathy, Emily, Elizabeth), Debbie Bolner Prost (Stephanie), Cindy & David Meeh of Houston (Josh & Elizabeth, Daniel, Jonathan), Beverly Bolner (Christopher, Caroline, Clifton Harness), Chris & Magdalena Bolner (Brandon, Christopher, Andrew, Dustin) and Mary Bolner of Key West, Florida. For 25 years, as her children attended St. Paul's, St. Martin's Hall, St. Anthony's, Central Catholic, Ursuline Academy and Incarnate Word High School, Rosalie was active in the school PTAs & Mother's Clubs. She continued her service to local Catholic Schools all her life serving on numerous boards and development committees.

Great food was a main focus for Rosalie. Rosalie met the love of her life, Clifton Bolner, as elementary school students at St. Gerard's Catholic School, where their moms, who were both excellent cooks volunteered in the school cafeteria.

Throughout her life she sentimentally recalled the aroma of freshly baked Richter's Butter Krust bread brought home daily from the family bakery by her father.

She co-founded Bolner's Fiesta Spices with her husband, and both the business and her husband added quite the spice to her life. She avidly developed unique seasoning recipes for the family business.

Year after year she tirelessly organized the food at church and school festivals, and various charity fund raisers. With her 7 children came large and wonderful family dinners along with many hungry visitors for slumber parties and team dinners.

Rosalie ensured all were lovingly welcomed and that everyone had all the helpings they wanted of her lasagna, pot roast, pinto beans, or signature chili.
She encouraged all her children to cook....a charge that they have all happily embraced.

Rosalie grew up exposed to classical music, as her mother played the piano and her father the violin.
She began studying keyboards as a child. Rosalie's favorite music story dates from 1945 when she was a neophyte organ student attending St. Mary's High School in downtown SA. One afternoon, Principal Sister Teracita, excitedly called her out of class, told her to run to the choir loft in the big church, to play a Hymn of Thanksgiving and to pull out all the stops (play very loudly). Rosalie was shocked by this directive from the very proper Sister, but ran to the choir loft and played Holy God We Praise Thy Name over and over as Pastor Father John Quinlivain pealed the bells and St. Mary's Church filled to overflowing as the San Antonio community rushed in to thank God that World War II was over.

She continued her music studies in college, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelors Degree in Music from Our Lady of The Lake University. OLLU recently awarded Rosalie an Honorary Doctorate in Music celebrating her 30 years of service on the Board of Trustees and as a Major Contributor to her beloved Alma Mater.

Rosalie taught and performed music for 65 years including playing the organ at thousands of Masses and Weddings in local churches and especially enjoyed performing piano concertos as part of the Tuesday Music Duo Piano Ensemble Group.

She served as President of the Tuesday Music Club, was on the Board of the Opera Guild, sang in the Mastersingers for 25 years, served as an officer of the San Antonio Symphony League and was the parish organist at St. Paul's Catholic Church and Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church for 45 years.

Rosalie's literary, historical preservation, philanthropic, and civic interests led to active participation in organizations such as The San Antonio Conservation Society, The Southwest Foundation Forum, Los Compadres, The Cancer Center Council in support of Cancer Therapy and Research Center, Sultanas de Bexar, Gibbons Literary Club, and Friends of the Ronald McDonald House.

Rosalie served as a Trustee on the Board of Santa Rosa Children's Hospital and is past President of St. Monica's Guild. She was a member of The St. Patrick's Holy Family Guild for 50 years. The Oblate Priests of Mary Immaculate were an integral part of Rosalie's life and she was an Honorary Lifetime member of the Oblate Associates.

Travel was a lifetime avocation for Rosalie. She attended the American Spice Trade Association Annual Conventions to visit with members of the World Spice Trade for over 30 years, enjoyed many family vacations in Mexico and the Colorado mountains, made numerous trips to visit her college aged children at Texas A&M, Texas Tech, St. Edward's University and the University of Notre Dame, and cruised to worldwide ports of call with her husband.

The Richter Family lived in Corpus Christi during Rosalie's preteen years developing a deep love for the Texas Coast, a love of which she instilled in her children. She spent many relaxing weekends smelling the salt air at Port Aransas with family and friends and enjoyed tending her garden in the Texas Hill Country.

The family would like to especially thank Terry, Gloria, Vicky, Elida, Anita, Cynthia, Jim, Maria T, Sister's Care, Nix Home Healthcare, Dr. Robert Schnitzer and his office staff, and Christus Hospice for their loving and respectful service and high level of quality care they provided to Rosalie during the last year of her life.



This Memorial Obituary extrapulated from Porter Loring Mortuary.