Private services will be held by her family at a later date.
Rosemary Hiltz, 83, passed away on November 20 in Morgan Hill. Rosemary was born in Detroit, MI in 1933 and moved to Los Angeles in 1947 with her mother and two siblings after their father had died a few years earlier. Her family was active in the Croatian Fraternal Union and she sang in the Croatian singing club called Slavulj (songbird).
Rosemary graduated from Manual Arts High School and was a recipient of the California Federation Scholarship award and then worked for Pacific Bell Telephone Co. as a customer service representative. After marrying a WWII combat veteran, Rosemary and her husband worked at various endeavors in and around Southern California, including owning their own antique /second hand store and running a small restaurant in Marina Del Rey.
Never having children, they frequently took time off to drive to Baja, Mexico in one of their many sports cars, Austin Healy 6, Porsche Speedster, Jaguar XKE, etc. They sponsored one of the first surfing clubs in Marina Del Rey and befriended and helped many teenagers get a good start in life. Rosemary is preceded in death by her husband, Ralph Hiltz and her mother, Zora Mardesich. Rosemary is survived by her sister, Virginia Benche, and her brother, Robert Benich, both of Morgan Hill. The family wishes to extend their gratitude to St. Louise Hospital for their loving care during her last days.
