Rosemary Dooling Fleck

Rosemary was born on May 4, 1937, the daughter of Eugene and Catherine Dooling. She grew up in Maspeth, New York, and South Amboy, New Jersey. She attended St. Mary’s High School in South Amboy and continued her studies at Our Lady of the Elms in Chicopee, Massachusetts.

In 1959, Rosemary married John Keene Fleck Jr. Together, they settled into family life, first in Princeton, New Jersey, and later in Miami, Florida. It was in Miami that Rosemary discovered the great passion of her life after her family: Montessori education.

She completed her 3–6 Montessori training under the esteemed Mother Isabel at Ravenhill, Pennsylvania. After several years of teaching at that level, she traveled to Bergamo, Italy, to study Elementary Montessori. The entire family made the journey: her husband painted, and her children enjoyed the beauty of the town and the warmth of its people. It remained one of the highlights of her life.

From that time on, Rosemary traveled as often as she could, eventually living in Germany for three years while teaching at a Montessori school. In 1978, she and her family settled in Charleston, a place they came to love. Her career in education included teaching at Alexander Montessori in Miami, FL; Taunus Montessori in Oberursel, Germany; Mauldin Montessori in Mauldin, SC; and at Charles Towne Montessori in Charleston, SC. She was also the Co-founder and Academic Dean at Trinity Montessori in Charleston.

Along the way, Rosemary made many extraordinary friends and cherished those friendships fiercely. She loved a good Rhine wine, opera, and a history book. She spoke French and Italian, and although she tried to speak German, her children begged her not to. She was exceptionally generous and caring, wickedly intelligent, and an incredible force in this world who will be missed immensely and by so many.

Rosemary leaves behind an enduring legacy of teaching children through the Montessori method. As she often said, “God called us to feed his lambs.” She answered that call fully, and her contributions to Montessori education will not be forgotten.

Rosemary was predeceased by her husband, John K. Fleck Jr.; her sister, Kathleen (Dooling) Sullivan; her brother, John Dooling; and her niece, Kassie Sullivan.

She is survived by her children, J. Keene Fleck III (Loli) and Melissa Fleck-Aller (John); her grandchildren, David Keene Aller, Fiona Catherine (Fleck) Fox (Kodee), JD Aller, and Kathleen Delaney Aller; two great-grandsons, Gryffin and Colton Fox; her niece, Elizabeth Sullivan; and her nephew, Robert Sullivan.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, from 5:00 to 7:00pm at McAlister- Smith on James Island. The Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 1:00pm on Thursday, September 10, 2026, at St. Mary of the Annunciation, 95 Hassel Street, Charleston, SC 29401. Entombment will follow after the mass at Holy Cross Cemetery, 604 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Trinity Montessori School, 1293 Orange Grove Road, Charleston, SC 29407.

Expressions of sympathy may be viewed or submitted online at McAlister-Smith Funeral & Cremation. 

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to McAlister-Smith Funeral and Cremation, 347 Folly Road, Charleston, SC 29412, (843) 614-8494.