WILLIAM LOBDELL -- Notebook

I didn’t give death much of a chance against Rosalind Williams.

We all knew she was diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago, that

she’d been through a lot of chemotherapy and radiation, that she’d been

in and out of remission.

But still, she seemed indestructible.

On Friday, she was still doing business as president and CEO of the

Newport Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau from her Hoag Hospital bed,

working the phone to bring more visitors to our community.

She passed away two days later. She was a very young 55.

I’m sure all those people on the phone didn’t realize how sick Rosalind

was. I didn’t when I talked with her last week. She sounded like her

usual self: bright, sharp, fun. Full of life. I didn’t even think to ask

about her health.

If you didn’t know Rosalind -- and I’m not sure who in Newport didn’t --

you missed someone special. She was an interesting mix: witty, smart,

aggressive, insightful, compassionate, tough, vivacious and pretty. And

she had a great smile.

Combine all of it and you have one very charismatic woman.

Which was exactly who Newport Beach needed to head up its sagging

visitors bureau in 1994. She took on a job that had baffled many of her

predecessors, and she thrived from Day One.

Tourism in Newport soon boomed. Two months ago, she presented the City

Council with a symbolic $21-million check -- the amount of taxes the city

generated last year from tourism dollars. In sheer monetary terms,

Rosalind was worth millions to the city.

She sold Newport Beach because she loved Newport Beach. To her, she

couldn’t imagine why Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan, Ohio State or any

other Rose Bowl-bound Big Ten school would want to stay any place other

our beautiful seaside town.

She’d send the schools letters, brochures, souvenirs of Newport and boxes

of roses to attract their attention. When that wasn’t enough, she’d hire

pilots in the Midwest to fly over Big Ten stadiums trailing a banner

touting Newport Beach.

On Big Game Saturday, she’d root only for the schools that promised to

stay in Newport Beach if they got to the Rose Bowl. She even had to root

against her beloved USC one year because -- I’ve forgotten the

complexities of it all -- if the Trojans won, it might hurt tourism in

Newport.

I’m guessing here, but I imagine if you had asked Rosalind what she was

most proud of, the bureau’s renaissance would be at least a distant third

on her list, behind her two grown boys, Jeff and Gregg, and her second

husband, Rick John.

I always liked running into Rosalind at community events. I think

everybody did. I had followed her kids’ prep football careers at Newport

Harbor, and she’d give me updates on her sons. She couldn’t be more

proud.

But then she’d always steer the conversation in the direction of my kids,

wanting to know all about them. She had a knack for making you feel

special.

And you can’t talk about Rosalind without talking about Rick John, the

love of her life. Have you ever been introduced to a couple and by the

end of the evening, you just knew that they were perfect for each other?

That was Rosalind, the extrovert, and Rick, the strong, semi-silent type.

At local events, he’d sometimes joke that he was “Mr. Rosalind Williams.”

“Rosalind was my source of strength,” Rick told the Pilot on Sunday.

I’m sure his wife felt the same about him. The marriage was as good as it

gets.

On my office wall, I have a framed copy of the Pilot’s 1995 “Top 103:

Most Influential People of Newport-Mesa” front page. That year, Rosalind

ranked No. 6 in all the land.

The copy below her picture reads, in part: “An increasingly important

player in the city’s life ... Opened higher profile office on West Coast

Highway this year ... Successfully stole PGA Senior Golf Tour event from

Costa Mesa ... High energy, no nonsense ... Fighting so-far successful

battle against breast cancer.”

I remembered the “so-far” modifier before the word “successful” bothered

me when it was printed in November 1995. I got a different feeling Monday

when I came into the office and reread it.

In 1995, the “so-far” seemed unnecessary. Right now, the foreshadowing is

just unbelievably sad.

* WILLIAM LOBDELL, former Daily Pilot editor, is editor of Times

Community News. His e-mail address is o7 bill.lobdell@latimes.comf7 .

FUNERAL SERVICES FOR ROSALIND WILLIAMS

* When: 2 p.m. Friday

* Where: Our Lady Queen of Angels Church, 2046 Mar Vista Drive, Newport

Beach

In lieu of flowers, Ms. Williams’ family is requesting donations be sent

to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, 3191-A Airport Loop Drive, Costa Mesa, or call (714) 957-9157.