Former Joliet council member, Realtor Rosalie D’Andrea remembered as ‘great lady’

Rosalie D’Andrea, a longtime Realtor who served on the Joliet City Council and held numerous other civic positions, has died.

D’Andrea, 79, passed away Monday. Services will be private.

D’Andrea had been ill for the past few years. She previously managed the commercial and residential divisions for the Shorewood-based Coldwell Banker Real Estate Group.

“She was a great lady,” said Ed Prodehl, chairman of Coldwell Banker Real Estate Group. “She was extremely helpful, and very involved and caring.”

D’Andrea’s civic involvement included a term on the Joliet City Council from 1988 to 1992.

“You always knew where you stood with Rosalie. She gave you her opinion, and if you had a different opinion it was OK.”

—   Michael Turk, former Joliet councilman

She remained involved in local government and served on board the Will County Metropolitan Exposition and Auditorium Authority, which oversees the Rialto Square Theatre, through most of the 1990s.

Most recently, D’Andrea was a commissioner with the Joliet Plan Commission from 2011 to 2017.

“She was a very good councilwoman,” said Michael Turk, a former Joliet council member who served with D’Andrea. “You always knew where you stood with Rosalie. She gave you her opinion, and if you had a different opinion it was OK.”

D’Andrea had a way of lightening up executive sessions when the council would meet behind closed doors to discuss sometimes sensitive issues.

“Rosalie would bring a bag of candy for everybody,” Turk said. “It was a pleasure to serve with her. She was a class act and a genuine person.”

D’Andrea stayed in touch over the years, always interested in developments in local government, Turk said.

She also was a Republican precinct committeewoman and was a delegate to the Republican national convention in 1996.

D’Andrea served on numerous professional and civic committees as a Realtor. She was on the board of directors for the Three Rivers Association of Realtors from 2011 to 2015. The association recognized her contributions with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

The private services are in accordance with D’Andrea’s wishes, a spokesperson for the family said.

She will be buried at Resurrection Cemetery in Romeoville.