In the early 1990s, she broadened the company's traditional sales in eastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey, and Delaware to include Western Pennsylvania, North Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Maryland, and the District of Columbia, according to Singer. In 1998, she was named executive vice president, responsible for more than $200 million in purchasing and sales.
When Honor Foods was sold to Burris Logistics in 2007, she stayed on as a consultant until she retired in 2011.
As a child, Mrs. Rossiter had numerous operations to correct a curved spine and spent a year in a full-body cast.
The experience gave her a "fighting spirit," Singer said. "She was a headstrong and relentless driver. She always expected the best possible results from her fellow workers and her vendors. In the process, she mentored many people from all segments of the industry."
Though she was a tough buyer, she realized her vendors also had to make a profit, and as a seller she treated the customer like a king, he said.
In recent years, Mrs. Rossiter's compressed spine caused numerous medical problems. She had trouble breathing, was often in pain, and walked with a limp. But she did not allow this to keep her from work or her family, her sister, Terry Salber, said.
The second of nine children, she was a surrogate grandmother to her nieces and nephews, her sister said.
She loved to fish, and rented lakefront property in the Poconos or North Carolina for family vacations.
In addition to her sister, Mrs. Rossiter is survived by her husband, John McVay; sisters Patricia O'Beirne and Mary Ann McAllister; and brothers James, Thomas, Daniel, John, and Joseph O'Neill. She was predeceased by her former husband, David Rossiter.
Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, and from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 17, at Clare McIlvaine Mundy Funeral Home, 7384 Ridge Ave. A Funeral Mass is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Friday at St. Philip Neri Church, 3015 Chestnut St., Lafayette Hill. Burial will be in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Cheltenham.
Donations may be made to Make-a-Wish Foundation for "Margie's Kids," 7007 Grant St., Gulf Tower, 37th Floor, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15219.
Contact staff writer Sally A. Downey at 215-854-2913 or sdowney@phillynews.com.
