Stella B Rossi ( Grimes)

Stella Blanche Grimes Rossi, age 100, of Cold Spring and Fishkill, NY, died peacefully on Thursday, June 12, 2025, with her daughter by her side.

Born in Pikeville, TN on March 30, 1925, she was the daughter of the late Addie and Henry Grimes. She grew up alongside her sisters, Ruth Raymer, Illa Adams, Hattie Hinson, Frances Patterson, and her brothers, Paul Grimes and Willie Grimes, who all predeceased her.

A strong, independent woman, Stella left Tennessee when she joined the Air Force as an X-Ray Technician in October of 1952. She was stationed at Mitchel Air Force Base on Long Island where she met the love of her life, Jerome Thomas Rossi. They married on June 24, 1956 and eventually made Cold Spring, NY their home. Together they raised their daughters, Nancy and Catherine.

Stella was a member of the Butterfield Library Quilting Guild, a Girl Scout leader, and volunteered her time with the Butterfield Hospital Auxiliary, The Lunch Box meal program, and The Nazareth House. She was a fabulous cook, and enjoyed sewing, quilting, and crocheting. She never missed her weekly hair appointment and didn’t leave the house without a spritz of Shalimar perfume. Her greatest joy in life was being a Grandmother to her four grandchildren, who she bragged about daily.

She was preceded in death by her husband Jerome in 1991 and her daughter Nancy Brownell in 2024.

She is survived by her daughter Catherine (Joseph) Platt of Cold Spring, her four grandchildren Tyler (Madeline) Brownell of London, England, Justin Brownell of Fishkill, NY, Andrew Platt of Tampa, FL, and Abigail Platt of Chicago, IL., along with many nieces and nephews.

The family was honored to spend an evening in March celebrating her 100th birthday, a night that is remembered and treasured by all who attended.

Family and friends may call on Friday, June 27, 2025 from 5-7pm at the Clinton Funeral Home, 21 Parrott Street, Cold Spring. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, June 28, 2025 at 10:00 am at The Fishkill United Methodist Church, 38 Broad Street, Fishkill, NY. Interment will follow at the Cold Spring Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to The Jerome and Stella Rossi Family Fund at the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, 25 Van Wagner Road, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603, which the family will use to continue supporting causes that were dear to Stella’s heart.