Rosalie V. Pickering

March 22, 1946 - March 6, 2022

Rosalie Viñas Pickering died peacefully on Sunday, March 6, 2022 in Dallas, TX. At the time of her passing, Rosalie was surrounded by those she loved most. Her radiant spirit is carried on by her husband, three children, and six grandchildren. During her 75 years on this earth, Rosalie blessed us with many valuable lessons: Never throw away a perfectly good paper bag, always have cooked rice at home, keep a stash of rubber bands, when in doubt pray about it, and above all, to not worry and be happy. Rosalie was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and friend – but most of all a woman of great determination, love, and kindness. She will always be remembered for her laughter, vibrant personality, boundless energy, devout Catholic faith, and her unending love for her family and friends. Rosalie was born to Lucas and Lilia Recto Viñas on March 22, 1946 in San Fernando, Romblon, Philippines; she was the eldest of nine children. After finishing high school in the Philippines, she set forth a personal goal of getting to America to give her family an opportunity to experience the American dream…and she did just that. Rosalie made a difficult decision to leave her family in the Philippines when she accepted a contract work assignment in Iran for Bell Helicopter in 1977. After a couple of years in Iran, she was evacuated due to the Iranian Revolution, then lived in Frankfurt and Madrid. During this time, she was blessed to meet Myron Pence, who helped her achieve her dream of making it to the United States. Upon arrival in the United States, she was able to reconnect with friends and family in New Jersey, California, Washington, and Texas. While traveling back to New Jersey, she met a handsome guy on a Greyhound bus named Thomas “Tommy” Pickering. The small talk turned into an engaging conversation, and they discovered they both had ties to Texas. They exchanged phone numbers and reconnected when they both made it to the Lonestar State. They continued dating and in April 1981, they decided to seal the deal by tying the knot in a Dallas County courthouse. Later that year, Rosalie became an American citizen and together they were able to bring Rosalie’s mother, first son, and first daughter to America. Ultimately settling in Dallas, Texas, Rosalie worked in retail and had a passion for helping people. Rosalie was a hard-working individual and if she wasn’t working, she was volunteering in the community or helping out family and friends. Her spirit for service, learned during childhood in the Philippines, helped her land a job at Consolidated Accessory and Accessory Lady, where she worked from the late 80s to early 90s. In 1996, she joined Target Stores as a softlines associate and cashier. She started at the Target Lovefield location and eventually transferred to the Target Addison location where she worked until her retirement in 2021. She spent most of her latter years as a cashier, so most people saw her big smile and experienced her boundless energy as they entered and exited the store. She loved engaging with her coworkers and customers and often had people stand in her line just to greet her with hugs while she loudly shared her favorite phrases: “you got the money honey” and “don’t worry, just be happy”. To say that Rosalie was a loud and proud retiree of Target Stores is an understatement - she enthusiastically wore her red and khaki for over 25 years! Target wasn’t the only place she shared her vibrant personality with. In the 90s, she was involved with the local DFW Filipino community, and helped share the culture through the performing arts on weekends. This community opened another door for her in the home health space where she helped with patient care and cooking. She eventually spent her weekends working at the home health facility to make sure her favorite patients were well taken care of. Rosalie thoroughly embraced her adopted American culture, and she also shared her FIlipino hospitality with anyone that she knew. She enjoyed entertaining and just having a good time. Rosalie was a diehard fan of all the Dallas sports teams - Cowboys, Mavericks, Stars, and Rangers. You could find her watching games intently and screaming at the top of her lungs when those teams met one of their biggest rivals. She also loved WWE wrestling, the Olympics, and really any sport that she could watch. Dates with her Tommy were usually live rock concerts and WWE wrestling matches. She also enjoyed her fair share of Bingo halls with her friends. Rosalie’s biggest love was her family. Her grandchildren were her biggest joy. Her whole life was dedicated to her family and bringing everyone together at every opportunity. She was devoted to her family and everything she did was to help make our lives better. She taught all of us how to live life to the fullest - with strength, courage, happiness, love, and through constant prayer. Rosalie is preceded in death by her parents and her youngest brother Crispolo Recto Vinas, of the Philippines. She is survived by her husband of 41 years Thomas Pickering of Dallas; son Edmund Manzala and wife Sharon of Dallas; daughter Riza Magalindan and husband Manuel of Rowlett; daughter Liberty Pickering and husband Oscar Cardenas of Dallas; grandchildren Jeremy Manzala, Jerome Manzala, Jason Manzala, Sharmaine Manzala, Justin Magalindan, and Jake Magalindan; siblings Felicitas Viñas, Margie Perez, Sandra Varona, Harry Viñas, Osmundo Viñas, Luisito Viñas, and Lucas Viñas Jr. The family wishes to thank the caring doctors and medical staff that provided care for our mother during the past several years at Dallas Renal Group, Pulmonary Medicine Consultants, Medical City Dallas, Methodist Medical City Richardson, and Davita Dialysis Centers. Services are as follows: The Wake / Viewing will be held at Restland Funeral Home, 13005 Greenville Ave, Dallas, TX 75243 on Friday, March 25, 2022 from 2:00 - 6:00 PM with a Rosary at 4:30 PM. The Funeral Mass will be held at St. Monica Catholic Church, 9933 Midway Rd., Dallas, TX 75220, on Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 12:00 PM (noon). Interment will follow at Restland Cemetery, 13005 Greenville Ave, Dallas, TX 75243. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Kidney Fund (kidneyfund.org) or to St. Monica Fine Arts (stmonicafinearts.org).