Phillip Joseph Roselli, 86, of Sylvania, OH went to be with his Heavenly Father on Thursday, February 24, 2022. A devout Catholic, Phillip was welcomed to Heaven by his many friends and family who had gone before him and laid straight the path, including his parents, Joseph and Elizabeth Roselli, his loving wife of more than 50 years, Wanda Roselli, and his granddaughter, Jillian Drees.
Phillip was most of all a devoted family man and father. He was born in Kansas City in 1935 and grew up in the St. Louis and Chicago areas. He graduated from Northwestern University and soon thereafter met the love of his life, Wanda. They were married in 1960, and soon welcomed their first child Philip (1961), followed by Jean (1963) and Dan (1969). Phillip proudly served as a member of the Air Force Reserves. Phillip and Wanda raised their children in the heart of the Midwest—Minneapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit—as Phillip’s career as a marketing executive called him to ever-more interesting positions, culminating in owning and running Stroh’s Ice Cream in Detroit. He worked tirelessly to provide for his family, but there was always time for family fun and for many, many memorable family fun-filled vacations. Phillip was a planner and organizer of everything and always had a plan A, B and C for all the decisions in his life, big or small.
In a well-earned retirement Phillip and Wanda headed for sunnier climates, relocating first to Rio Verde, Arizona, and later to Kansas City, where they enjoyed being part of the extended family of Phillip’s sister Mary Ann and brother-in-law Jake Jacobsen. After Wanda passed in 2014, all of Phillip’s extended family in Kansas City continued to love him and made him a part of the fabric of their own lives. In 2019, Phillip moved to the Toledo area to be close to his daughter Jean and her family. Through these years Jean was Phillip’s rock, always there for him, and including him in everything her family did.
Phillip loved golf, chess and bridge and was relentless in his pursuit of excellence in these activities. He served as President of Plum Hollow Country Club in Southfield, MI, and claimed two aces over his long golfing career. He was a “people person” and sought out conversation and always appreciated great food, grilling out and an occasional cocktail, with lots of ice! He loved his Northwestern Wildcats through thick and thin, as he loved watching college football. As the founder of the Roselli Family Bowl Pool, he claimed the inaugural bragging rights to the coveted trophy in 1999 and 3 times thereafter. He loved cruising on Princess cruise lines and seeing the world with his wife Wanda. He was a snappy dresser, always color coordinated. He took pride in always improving his vocabulary, highlighting a dictionary to master new and interesting words and spawning the beloved Roselli “dictionary game.” That tattered, highlighted dictionary is now a prized family heirloom. But the book he was best known for was his “joke book” - a binder of jokes and puns he had accumulated over the years, which he would unleash on his audience with little need for urging. Most of all, he loved his family always, with the steady hand and guidance that made us all who we are today. It was a life well-lived. We love you, Dad. We will miss you, but because of the man you were and what you taught us . . . it’s going to be all right with us down here.
Phillip is survived by his children Philip (Terri) Roselli of Littleton, Colorado, Jean (Tom) Drees of Lambertville, Michigan, and Dan (Sara) Roselli of Charlotte, North Carolina, sister Mary Ann Jacobsen (Jake) of Overland Park, Kansas, all his extended family in Kansas City, and by his many beloved grandchildren Nathan (Kristy), Joseph, Anna, Nick (Miranda), Jason, Amanda, John, Maya, William and Abby.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Phillip Joseph Roselli, please visit our flower store.
Phillip was most of all a devoted family man and father. He was born in Kansas City in 1935 and grew up in the St. Louis and Chicago areas. He graduated from Northwestern University and soon thereafter met the love of his life, Wanda. They were married in 1960, and soon welcomed their first child Philip (1961), followed by Jean (1963) and Dan (1969). Phillip proudly served as a member of the Air Force Reserves. Phillip and Wanda raised their children in the heart of the Midwest—Minneapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit—as Phillip’s career as a marketing executive called him to ever-more interesting positions, culminating in owning and running Stroh’s Ice Cream in Detroit. He worked tirelessly to provide for his family, but there was always time for family fun and for many, many memorable family fun-filled vacations. Phillip was a planner and organizer of everything and always had a plan A, B and C for all the decisions in his life, big or small.
In a well-earned retirement Phillip and Wanda headed for sunnier climates, relocating first to Rio Verde, Arizona, and later to Kansas City, where they enjoyed being part of the extended family of Phillip’s sister Mary Ann and brother-in-law Jake Jacobsen. After Wanda passed in 2014, all of Phillip’s extended family in Kansas City continued to love him and made him a part of the fabric of their own lives. In 2019, Phillip moved to the Toledo area to be close to his daughter Jean and her family. Through these years Jean was Phillip’s rock, always there for him, and including him in everything her family did.
Phillip loved golf, chess and bridge and was relentless in his pursuit of excellence in these activities. He served as President of Plum Hollow Country Club in Southfield, MI, and claimed two aces over his long golfing career. He was a “people person” and sought out conversation and always appreciated great food, grilling out and an occasional cocktail, with lots of ice! He loved his Northwestern Wildcats through thick and thin, as he loved watching college football. As the founder of the Roselli Family Bowl Pool, he claimed the inaugural bragging rights to the coveted trophy in 1999 and 3 times thereafter. He loved cruising on Princess cruise lines and seeing the world with his wife Wanda. He was a snappy dresser, always color coordinated. He took pride in always improving his vocabulary, highlighting a dictionary to master new and interesting words and spawning the beloved Roselli “dictionary game.” That tattered, highlighted dictionary is now a prized family heirloom. But the book he was best known for was his “joke book” - a binder of jokes and puns he had accumulated over the years, which he would unleash on his audience with little need for urging. Most of all, he loved his family always, with the steady hand and guidance that made us all who we are today. It was a life well-lived. We love you, Dad. We will miss you, but because of the man you were and what you taught us . . . it’s going to be all right with us down here.
Phillip is survived by his children Philip (Terri) Roselli of Littleton, Colorado, Jean (Tom) Drees of Lambertville, Michigan, and Dan (Sara) Roselli of Charlotte, North Carolina, sister Mary Ann Jacobsen (Jake) of Overland Park, Kansas, all his extended family in Kansas City, and by his many beloved grandchildren Nathan (Kristy), Joseph, Anna, Nick (Miranda), Jason, Amanda, John, Maya, William and Abby.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Phillip Joseph Roselli, please visit our flower store.
Guestbook
Visits: 6
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors