Rosie was born Rosemary Ann Starczyk. Her Polish father, Stanley, was stationed in Scotland during the war, where he met and married her mother. On becoming a British citizen when Rosie was 5, he changed the family surname to Barclay, which was Rosie’s mother’s -Catherine’s - maiden name. She has always been proud of her Polish ancestry.

Although she was born in Birmingham - closely followed 15 months later by a sister, Jane - the family moved to Orpington in Kent when she was very young. Another sister, Patty, arrived a few years later. Rosie always knew her role as the older sister - keeping the younger ones in order!

Rosie was very intelligent and won a scholarship to her senior school - Holy Trinity Convent in Bromley. This school, especially the Headmistress, had a profound influence on her and she was most unhappy when the family moved to Lincoln. It took some time for her to settle into her new school, which was then Christ’s Hospital High School for Girls. (This was before it joined up with Lincoln School for Boys.)

However, because Rosie was such a sociable person, things soon changed; Rosie and Jane spent many a happy hour at the youth club where they made lasting friendships. They soon went on to host many parties for their teenage friends – Rosie’s friendships were to become a central tenet of her life. Rosie’s nickname at around this time was Knobble!

Every school holiday was spent in Scotland visiting Granny; being Scotland, it usually rained! Rosie has since spent many a holiday in Scotland and the Lake District – these were her absolute favourite places. However, visiting relatives in Poland and having them visit her over here was also extremely important to her. Rosie was always good at Art, and this became a hobby that she has pursued in recent years with great enthusiasm. In her 20s she was a great fan of motor sports, attending many race meetings. She enjoyed driving sporty cars herself and was a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists. In 1970, she attended Sunderland University to study Pharmacy. She soon after returned home to Lincoln where she worked at St George’s Hospital, working in the pharmacy Manufacturing Unit whilst studying for her Apothecaries Hall certificate. She worked at St John’s Hospital for a while and then at Lincoln County Hospital for many years within the Pharmacy Department.

Rosie was very actively involved in the Accident and Emergency Flying Squad, known as CHAEFS to its friendly crew. She was actively involved in fundraising, giving many talks about the squad to various groups and asking her fee to be donated, together with raising their profile at events like the Lincolnshire show and the Mayor’s Parade. Rosie drove the Flying Squad car as a voluntary driver, role of which she was very proud. Rosie was a well-loved and respected member of the NHS community.

Most of her career was spent at Lincoln County Hospital, moving to work part time in the pharmacy of HMP Lincoln before she retired from Pharmacy completely. In all aspects of her life, both professional and personal, Rosie was a real people person, very endearing and engaging.

In her spare time, Rosie was a tour guide at Lincoln Cathedral and her friends can all bear witness to her prodigious knowledge of vast amounts of obscure knowledge about every aspect of the Cathedral!

Rosie became a Magistrate in about 2002. She was assigned to the Lincoln District Bench, sitting at the Magistrates’ Court in the High Street, Lincoln. During her time as a Magistrate she was liked, admired and respected by all of her colleagues because of her open and friendly personality, and her commitment to the administration of local justice. She served the local community in this roll until she resigned due to ill heath in March 2012 which was a great loss to the community.

A big part of Rosie’s life since she retired has been her painting and her dogs. Rosie has always been very much her own lady who made up her own mind and did things her own way. She brought these qualities to her art work and consequently, the results were very personal and very accomplished paintings. Although Rosie attended art classes, she was always deemed more a participant than a student, working alongside others and encouraging them in turn to make progress. Her work has been exhibited in the Sam Scorer Gallery and the Cathedral Chapter House. Her many dog walks brought her a great joy, her favourite walks being through Monks and Watts Woods, with her much-loved dogs and great friends.

Her wish is to have a bench situated in the exact spot she always used to sit and contemplate both the view and life in general; she would love for her friends and family to be able to sit there and think of her in the future, with love and happy memories. Rosie was many things in her life: a daughter, a sister, a confidant, a painter, a dog-lover and a true friend, but mostly, I think, she was inspirational, admired and loved.

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