Rosemary Tysko Hornak, Ph.D.

Rosemary Tysko Hornak, Ph.D., 68, of Garner, beloved grandmother, mother and wife, passed away peacefully at home Saturday, May 16, after a courageous, albeit short, battle with cancer. Rosemary was born in Wheeling, WV, the daughter of John and Genevieve Tysko (deceased). She grew up in Martins Ferry, OH and attended St. John Central High School, Bellaire, OH where she played French horn in the school marching band. She received a BS degree in Psychology from Wheeling College and went on to earn Masters and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from The Ohio State University. She and her husband moved to Raleigh when she accepted a teaching position at Meredith College. Rosemary served Meredith for 34 years, retiring in 2011. Rosemary was a person of tremendous capacity, creative vision, high standards, voracious reading habits and wide ranging interests. During her time at Meredith, Rosemary was the recipient of both the Pauline Davis Perry Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Laura Harrill Presidential Award. She presented the 1983 Faculty Distinguished Lecture on Women’s Achievement: Spiral of Success. Rosemary’s most lasting legacy of which she was proudest was her scholarly collaboration with students. Rosemary supervised more than 80 student papers, all presented at professional meetings. Her former students are psychologists, educators, entrepreneurs, and faculty members and many of those same students she valued as dear friends. After she received a hammered dulcimer as a Christmas gift, Rosemary became an accomplished player. She attended numerous workshops including the Swannanoa Gathering and the Sandbridge Dulcimer Retreat where she studied and played with many other talented musicians and composed and sang her own arrangements as well. A tribute from a fellow dulcimer player called Rosemary a leader and facilitator and a vibrant force in growing the hammered dulcimer community in the Triangle. She facilitated monthly dulcimer jams in the 1990s and 2000s and usually set the bar a notch higher for her fellow musicians to aspire to. She and another local musician formed their own group, Sound Memory. Her other interests included tending her colorful gardens, playing bingo and trivia with friends, rooting for The Ohio State Buckeyes and Pittsburgh Steelers football teams and caring for her two Keeshond dogs, Tempo and Lyric. What gave Rosemary the greatest pleasure was spending precious time with her five year old granddaughter, Hazel. Whether playing dolls, reading books together or pretending to be a vet to the puppies, Rosemary loved and cherished every moment with Hazel. Rosemary is survived by her husband, Raymond, her daughter, Eva and son-in-law Josh Snapp of Garner, her granddaughter Hazel, and her brother, John and sister-in-law, Janis Tysko, of Athens, OH and niece, Joanna and nephews, J.D. and Joseph. Visitation at the Bryan-Lee Funeral Home, 1200 Benson Rd., Garner, will be held from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm Wednesday, May 20 (limited attendance to 50 persons, including family). A private graveside service will be held on Thursday, May 21, at Oakwood Cemetery, Raleigh where Rosemary’s parents are interred. Due to restrictions resulting from the Corona virus, a celebration of her life will be planned for the anniversary of her passing. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation or your favorite charity. Arrangements by Bryan-Lee Funeral Home, Garner. Online condolences may be made at www.bryan-leefuneralhome.com