Paul E. Rosner

Paul Edward Rosner died on Monday, January 9, 2023, after an 18-month battle with cancer. He lived a long, rich life full of blessings from the Lord. Paul was born on November 30, 1934, to Anna Marie and Henry Edward Rosner. He was the fifth of seven children in his family. He was preceded in death by his parents, sisters Mary Parker, Jane Vale, and Martha Nichol, brother Richard (Dick) Rosner and daughter-in-law Tori Rosner.

He graduated from Cathedral High School in 1952 and then from the College of Pharmacy at Butler University in 1957. In September 1957, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and served two years at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, TX, where he made life-long friends. After his military service, Paul joined his older brother Dick in a 25-year partnership owning and operating Rosner’s Pharmacy (a three-generation family run business that their grandfather and father started in Speedway, IN). Paul left the family business in 1984 and worked for Kroger Pharmacy for 15 years, retiring in December 1999.

Paul married the love of his life, Mary Ann Oprisu, on May 5, 1962. They were married at St. Christopher Catholic Church in Speedway. Paul was a devout Catholic who prayed every day with his wife and rarely missed a weekly mass. He and Mary Ann began attending St. Gabriel Catholic Church when it was founded in 1963 and continued and supported this parish for 58 years. They were major contributors when St. Gabriel Church added their new sanctuary. Paul was a tireless volunteer and man of God. He served as a eucharistic minister, usher, and money counter on a regular basis. He also enjoyed volunteering for the St. Gabriel International Festival every June.

Together they had four children: daughter Paula (Kevin) Carman of Atlanta, GA, and three sons Philip (Stephanie) of The Woodlands, Texas, Kevin (Carmela) of Indianapolis, and Kristopher (Christine) of South Portland, ME. They raised all four children in their Speedway home and taught them the Catholic faith. His children were active in sports, and Paul enjoyed attending many baseball, volleyball, and football games. Paul was a generous father, who poured his time and his love into the lives of his children.

In the early 1990’s, Paul and Mary Ann moved from Speedway to their home in a wooded area near Eagle Creek Park. They relished taking long walks together while holding hands in their neighborhood and at the park as well as watching their beloved Colts football team (and other sports teams). After Paul retired, he and his wife took a number of trips around the country to visit their adult children and growing grandchildren. They also discovered their love for faraway travel and visited locations including Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, Tahiti, Italy, the Greek Isles, and Ireland as well as a cruise of the Mediterranean Sea. Paul regularly volunteered at the St. Vincent de Paul Society and the Gennesaret Free Clinic. He also took weekly communion to those folks from St. Gabriel’s who were homebound. He greatly enjoyed reading, figuring out Sudoku puzzles and playing card games with a neighborhood group of friends. And of course, a football or basketball game was often playing on the TV when visiting him at home.

Paul remained devoted to Mary Ann for over 60 years and due to this deep love for her, he had difficulty letting go at the end. He is survived by his wife, his two sisters Theresa White of The Villages, Florida and Rita Oprisu of Indianapolis, his four children, their spouses, and 13 grandchildren including Nicholas, Marianne, Danielle, Erin, Joe, Brady, Chase, Isaiah, Jonah, Erica (and spouse Luke), Jason, Quinnton, and Rayannah.

Services will be held on Friday, January 20 with a funeral mass at 11 a.m. at St. Gabriel Catholic Church and an internment of ashes at 2 p.m. at Roselawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Terre Haute, IN. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to either Gennesaret Free Clinics (online at www.gennesaret.org /mail to 615 North Alabama St., Suite 136, Indianapolis, IN 46204) or to St. Vincent de Paul Society Indianapolis (online at www.svdpindy.org /mail to 3001 E. 30th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46218).