Rosemarie "Libby" Liberatore, born on February 2, 1934, in Baltimore, Maryland, lived in East and Northeast Baltimore City for over 50 years before moving to Timonium, Maryland. A proud graduate of The Catholic High School of Baltimore in 1952, Libby went on to attend St. Joseph's Hospital School of Nursing, located downtown. It was at these two institutions that Libby forged lasting relationships with the Sisters of St. Frances of Philadelphia and lifelong friendships with her St. Joe's Nursing classmates, many of whom remained close to her throughout her life.

After graduating, Libby worked in what was known as "The Accident Room," quickly rising to Head Nurse of the unit and its associated clinics. When St. Joseph's Hospital moved from its city location to Towson, Libby was entrusted with coordinating the challenging patient transition to the new, much larger facility. The Emergency Room opened just a day after the move, and Libby became its Head Nurse, a role she held until 1968.

In 1968, Libby was assigned the task of creating the hospital's first Intensive Care Unit. With 8 open beds on the 4th floor and staffed primarily by the classes of 1968 and 1969, it was a groundbreaking initiative. At the same time, Libby pursued higher education, earning her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Maryland, then the only local institution offering the degree. This required her to attend full-time classes downtown, leading her to make the difficult decision to leave St. Joseph's and further her education. While studying, she worked part-time at Maryland General Hospital. Upon completing her BSN and MS degrees, she returned to Maryland General as Director of Nursing for the Emergency Department, Clinics, and the Maryland General School of Nursing, again building and maintaining lifetime relationships with many physicians, nurses, and staff.

During this time, St. Joseph's Hospital underwent a decade of turmoil in its Nursing Department. As the hospital prepared to launch its pioneering Open Heart Program, a search team was formed to find a new Chief Nursing Officer. It quickly became clear that the nursing and medical staff had one person in mind…Libby. She returned to St. Joseph's in 1982 as Vice President of Nursing and Patient Care Services, a position she held for the next 15 years. During her tenure, she oversaw significant changes, including hospital expansions, the creation of Mother-Baby Units, a higher-functioning NICU, and a state-of-the-art 28-bed Critical Care unit. She also became an active leader in the Maryland Organization of Nurse Executives, serving as one of the organization's first presidents.

A proud second-generation Italian, Libby was an avid traveler, visiting most U.S. states and numerous countries. She especially cherished a memorable six-week trip to Europe in 1963, known as "The Grand Tour." When not focused on her professional and volunteer pursuits, Libby enjoyed attending the opera and theater, indulging in crabs, dining and imbibing with friends and family and spending time at her Fenwick Island, Delaware condo, enjoying the beach. She was an amazing, yet messy cook, who delighted in entertaining and jokingly referred to her daily happy hour as "first vespers." A lifelong fan of the Baltimore Colts, Ravens, and Orioles, Libby was a part-time Orioles season ticket holder for over 20 years.

Libby's loyalty and devotion to her loved ones were evident in her close relationships with family and friends. She was preceded in death by her father, Philip, her beloved mother, Emma (née Paglione) Liberatore, nephew Louis Liberatore, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. She is survived by her brother Sam and his wife Marianna of Huntsville, Alabama, nephew Nick and his wife Jennifer, also of Huntsville, niece Colette and her husband Thomas Blount of San Antonio, Texas, and numerous grandnieces and grandnephews. Known as "Aunt Lib" to countless cousins and their friends, Libby often joked that if someone's last name was Liberatore, she was probably related to them.

Libby passed away peacefully at Stella Maris in Timonium, Maryland, on December 18, 2024. A visitation will be held at Ruck Towson Funeral Home in Towson, Maryland, on Friday, December 27 from 2:00-6:00pm. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, December 28, at 11:00 a.m. at the Church of the Nativity in Timonium, followed by interment at Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery in Baltimore.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to one of Libby's passionate causes:

The Catholic High School of Baltimore https://www.thecatholichighschool.org/giving

University of Maryland / St Joseph Medical Center: https://www.umms.org/sjmc/giving/hhpoc/donation-form

Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia https://osfphila.org/donate-now/

Church of the Nativity https://www.churchnativity.com/