Rosemarie Barsa Elenbaas

Rosemarie Barsa Elenbaas of Gambrills, MD passed away after a brief illness on March 19, 2022, at the age of 78. Born on Sept. 17, 1943 in the Bronx, NY, she grew up in Manhasset, NY, the daughter of Michael and Theresa Barsa with younger brothers Artie, Kenny and Richard.  From an early age, she loved learning and reading and was incredibly smart.  She attended St. Mary’s High School in Manhasset and worked at the Plandome Country Club as a young girl. She attended Newton College of the Sacred Heart in Chestnut Hill, MA where she majored in the Classics and studied Latin and ancient Greek, graduating in 1965.  After college, she moved to Maryland and worked at the National Security Agency (NSA).

In Maryland, she met her husband of 55 years Anthony Elenbaas and many wonderful lifelong friends. They lived in Severna Park and had 3 children, Christine, Brian and Jenny. The moved to Hermitage in Gambrills, MD in 1977. Rosemarie devoted herself to being a mother and homemaker for 14 years. She was very proud of her children’s accomplishments whether at a swim meet, a good grade on a test or excelling at a job. She was frugal, always clipping coupons and looking for good deals, a quality which she instilled in her children. When her children were in their teenage years, she returned to work as a high school Latin teacher and later went back to NSA where she learned modern Greek.  

Rosemarie loved working at NSA as a linguist. There, she was able to do important work to protect our country with like-minded and learned colleagues who shared her love of languages. After Sept 11, she moved into the counter-terrorism group, a job which was a perfect match for her skills. It gave her family great pride knowing that she was integrally involved in this intelligence work. She never wanted to retire from NSA since she enjoyed learning, contributing and staying sharp. After her official retirement at NSA, she continued working as a part-time consultant until 5 months before her passing.

Rosemarie was on Jeopardy in the early 70s, an accomplishment that her family and grandchildren were so proud of. She loved watching Jeopardy throughout her life and especially with her grandchildren. While watching, she could teach them interesting facts and also stress the importance of a well-rounded liberal arts education. We would all cheer for her when she would get a tough question that none of the contestants or family members could answer. She also loved old and sentimental movies, inevitably crying at the end, bringing much laughter to her grandchildren. Later at night, she’d fall asleep on the couch with a pile of newspapers by her side.

Rosemarie was the matriarch of our family who loved to host parties on Christmas Eve, Thanksgiving and for her Bridge and book groups. Her signature event was the July 4^th crab feast by the pool.  We all delighted in her specialty appetizers and meals. In recent years, she arranged for summer vacations for her family at Rehoboth Beach and Outer Banks where she and Tony could bring the whole family and 10 grandchildren together.

Rosemarie was a devout Catholic and a parishioner at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Crofton for many years. Her children attended all Catholic schools and colleges which made her so proud; Catholic University, Holy Cross and Boston College. She loved all sports and especially the Washington Redskins. At NCAA March tournament time with her office pool, she would pick Catholic schools in the Final Four, leading her work colleagues to quip that her bracket was “The Pope’s Picks.”

Rosemarie and Tony loved vacationing in Cancun at the Royal Islander for more than 20 years. They met wonderful friends there and invited other friends and relatives to join them. These vacations were not only for the sunbathing, good food and drinks; they were a place where she could read books on the beach and converse with friends who shared her interests in literature, sports, politics, timeshares and coupons.

Rosemarie absolutely adored her 10 grandchildren. She cheered for them at all of their swim meets, football, lacrosse, basketball and soccer games. She was proud of all their accomplishments and didn’t miss a chance to tell her friends about them. As she did with her own children, she helped her grandchildren with their homework and essays and she closely followed their classwork, always emphasizing the importance of a good education. She especially loved taking the girls shopping at Annapolis Mall and to the Nordstrom’s café for lunch. They will so miss their beloved and shopping-obsessed grandmother who doted on them.

Rosemarie is survived by her husband Tony, daughter Christine Maloney (Paul), son Brian Elenbaas (Diane), daughter Jenny Phillips (Jeff) and their 10 grandchildren: Sara, Ryan, Meghan and Katie Maloney; Benjamin and Nora Elenbaas; Stephen, Tess, Lizzy and Josie Phillips. She is also survived by her three younger brothers Artie, Kenny and Richard Barsa.

Relatives and friends are invited to a Funeral Mass at Our Lady of the Fields Catholic Church in Millersville, Maryland on April 2, 2022 at 11 a.m.  A Celebration of Rosemarie’s life will be held at the Crofton Country Club immediately following. 

In lieu of flowers, Rosemarie requested that any donations in her memory be made to St. Anselm’s Abbey School in Washington, DC where Brian attended high school. St. Anselm’s is run by Benedictine monks who shared her passion for a classical and Catholic liberal arts education.

St. Anselm's Abbey School

4501 South Dakota Avenue, NE

Washington DC, 20017

202-269-2350

www.stanselms.org