Rosalie Hornblower of Cambridge, MA, passed away peacefully on April 27, 2022, surrounded by her daughters after a courageous battle with cancer.


She was born to Ralph Hornblower, Jr. and Priscilla Blumer Hornblower on February 10, 1946, in Boston, MA. Rosalie attended Greenwich Country Day School, St. Timothy's School, and graduated with an AB in History from Harvard College in 1968. She received a BS in Nursing from Cornell University New York Hospital School of Nursing in 1971.


She married Dr. Brian Catlin in 1972, and they raised four daughters in Greenwich, CT. She worked as a nurse in a variety of settings, including Westwood Lodge in MA, Greenwich Country Day School in CT, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York City. She taught Lamaze in Greenwich for 20 years and was known as a "second Mom" to many of her daughters' friends. Rosalie was an optimist, with boundless energy and a festive style that lit up a room. She was a talented cook who loved entertaining guests in her home. Known for her beautiful smile and contagious laugh, she connected easily with people and formed lasting friendships.


Rosalie's adventurous spirit led her to explore many parts of the world. Highlights include leading tours in Greece at the age of 18, organizing a Camel Walk from Oxford to Cambridge, England in 1999 to support missionary schools in Africa, and producing an award-winning docudrama in Moldova on human trafficking in 2002, called Bucharest Express. She built a hacienda style hotel in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico incorporating custom Talavera tile designs and tropical landscaping. She was excited to meet each new day and couldn't fathom being bored in such a fascinating world.


Rosalie reveled in all that New England has to offer and treasured walks with her beloved dogs. Her family spent summers on Mishaum Point in South Dartmouth, MA and she later built a vacation home on Squibnocket Farm in Chilmark, MA. She was an avid gardener and member of Hortulus Garden Club. Rosalie delighted in tending to her robust gardens, riding on her sporty tractor, and sailing, swimming, and fishing in the ocean. She was a fierce tennis and golf player and longtime member of the Round Hill Club in Greenwich, CT and the Cambridge Tennis Club in Cambridge, MA. In recent years, she adventured with her friend, William Morris, sailing in Fishers Island Sound, traveling to Maine and Martha's Vineyard, and reconnecting with old friends.


Rosalie gifted her athleticism, environmentalism, appreciation of the arts, and love for global exploration to her children and grandchildren. She was immensely proud of her family and a constant cheerful presence at their school and sporting events. Rosalie is survived by her daughters: Doris Catlin and her wife, Julie Piacentini Catlin, Laine Catlin Fletcher and her husband, Justin Fletcher, Amy Catlin Haklisch and her husband, Brian Haklisch, and Tracy Catlin and her husband, Pedro Alvarez. She was a loving grandmother, affectionately known as "GoGo," to ten grandchildren: Riggs, Tali, Phoebe, and Grove Catlin, Jackson and Townsend Fletcher, Sierra and Celeste Haklisch, and Mia and Sol Alvarez Catlin. Her five brothers, sister, many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends mourn her passing as well.


Happy Mother's Day, Mom!


A celebration of life service is scheduled on Friday, July 8th at 10AM at Christ Church Cambridge. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Rosalie Hornblower to support cancer research at Mass General Hospital by clicking the link to the left or visiting https://giving.massgeneral.org/donate/