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Person

Dick DeRosia

Also Dick DeRosia · Richard DeRosia

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

TypePerson
ErasModern era
On this page
Person
Active
fl. 1973–1974
Work
Vice-president, Beaver Island Civic Association
Children
Peggy Sue DeRosia
Member of
Beaver Island Civic Association
Eras
Modern era
Concepts
governancecommunity

Summary

Dick DeRosia — Richard DeRosia — and his wife June ran businesses and held civic office on Beaver Island from about 1970 to the early 1980s. He was identified as vice-president of the Beaver Island Civic Association after its January 1973 annual meeting,1 led the effort to record and mark graves at St. James Cemetery,2 and with June operated first the Beavertail restaurant and later the Ding-a-lings trailer stand at the ferry dock.34

History

Richard and June DeRosia became managers of the Beavertail restaurant in 1970, described by the Beacon as jumping into a business and an island they were unfamiliar with.3 They were among the small group of newcomers who spent that first winter on the island rather than leaving for the season.5 Their daughter Tonia Rae was born at the Beaver Island Medical Center on October 12, 1971.6

Dick and June quickly took on organizing roles in the island’s civic and recreational life. In 1972 Mr. and Mrs. Dick DeRosia chaired the Beaver Island Civic Association’s St. Patrick’s Day lunch and helped plan and supervise, with Ed Wojan, the day’s snowmobile and foot races on the harbor.7 Dick DeRosia himself raced snowmobiles, placing third in a 1971 St. Patrick’s Day event, while June won the 1971 “Powder Puff” race for women and was later remembered as a Ladies’ Euchre Club “Euchre Queen.”89 By 1973 Dick DeRosia was Civic Association vice-president1 and, that spring, was named keeper of the St. James Township Cemetery in a list of township appointees, leading a cemetery-improvement project that asked Islanders with knowledge of unmarked graves to contact him; material was purchased for forty new grave crosses, and the Beacon credited “the Dick DeRosia family” with keeping the cemetery neat and trimmed.210 The family’s daughter Peggy Sue DeRosia was born in January 1974 — noted in the Beacon as “the fifth girl for the DeRosia family,” meaning the couple had five daughters by that date: Sherry (later Sherrie), Tina, Debbie, Tonia, and Peggy.11 A 2003 Beacon retrospective on events “thirty years ago” records Dick DeRosia as head chef for a Game Club Hunter’s Dinner that fed 132 people in 1973.12

In March 1975 he helped clear harbor ice with Ron and Walt Wojan for a children’s skating party.13 In May 1976 the Dick DeRosia family opened Ding-a-lings, a trailer stand at the ferry dock selling hamburgers, hot dogs, and snacks;4 by September 1977 the stand was advertised for sale, with Richard DeRosia as the contact.14 The following spring a Beacon notice placed his home “next to the Township Cemetery” as a drop-off point for reusable items.15

The DeRosia daughters grew up on the island through the late 1970s and 1980s: Sherry helped lead an early attempt to organize Girl Scouts in 1976,16 Tina and Debbie both appear in island school honor rolls and graduating classes into the early 1980s,1718 and Peggy Sue competed in island track events as late as 1987.19 On October 6, 1979, Sherry DeRosia gave birth to a son, Richard Nelson DeRosia, naming Dick and June DeRosia as the proud grandparents and Tina, Debbie, Tonia, and Peggy as aunts.20 By 1986 a second grandchild, Heather Marie, was born in Flint to Tina (DeRosia) Wilson and her husband Dale, with Dick and June DeRosia again named as grandparents “of Beaver Island” — placing the couple still resident on the island a decade after June DeRosia’s later obituary would suggest they had moved to Onaway.21

June DeRosia’s 2011 obituary supplies the family’s fuller closing record: she was born in Flint in 1939, is described there as having lived on Beaver Island “from the early 1970s to the early 1980s” before the family moved to Onaway, and was survived by her husband Richard and five children — Sherrie, Tina, Debbie, Tonia, and Peggy.22

Evidence and limits

No source held here gives Dick DeRosia’s own birth or death date. His full given name, Richard, is established through the 1971 and 1974 birth notices’ “Mr. and Mrs. Richard DeRosia” and confirmed by June’s 2011 obituary, which names him as her surviving husband. That obituary’s summary that the family lived on the island only “from the early 1970s to the early 1980s” is contradicted by this article’s own sourcing: a 1986 birth notice names “Dick and June DeRosia of Beaver Island” as grandparents, and island school records place daughters Tina, Debbie, and Peggy in classes and activities through 1981 and 1987. This article does not resolve the discrepancy; it may reflect an obituary writer’s approximation, a later return to the island after an initial departure, or an error in one source or the other.

Open questions

  • What years exactly did the DeRosia family live on Beaver Island, and when — and how many times — did they leave and return?
  • Is Dick DeRosia still living, and if not, when and where did he die?
  • What became of the Ding-a-lings stand after it was advertised for sale in 1977?

See also

Footnotes

  1. Beaver Beacon, January 1973, “Civic Association.” ↩ ↩2

  2. Beaver Beacon, February 1973, “Information Needed.” ↩ ↩2

  3. Beaver Beacon, June 1970, “Beavertail Changes Managers.” ↩ ↩2

  4. Beaver Beacon, May 1976, “Summer Business’s Open.” ↩ ↩2

  5. Beaver Beacon, January 1971, “Not All Leave, Some Do Come.” ↩

  6. Beaver Beacon, October 1971, “Births.” ↩

  7. Beaver Beacon, February 1972, “St. Patrick’s Day” notice; Beaver Beacon, March 1972, St. Patrick’s Day report. ↩

  8. Beaver Beacon, March 1971, St. Patrick’s Day snowmobile race results. ↩

  9. Beaver Beacon, April 1979, Ladies’ Euchre Club season report. ↩

  10. Beaver Beacon, May 1973, township appointee list. ↩

  11. Beaver Beacon, February 1974, “Births.” ↩

  12. Beaver Beacon, November 2003, “Thirty Years Ago” retrospective. ↩

  13. Beaver Beacon, March 1975, “Skating Party.” ↩

  14. Beaver Beacon, September 1977, “Concession Stand for Sale.” ↩

  15. Beaver Beacon, April 1978, “Wanted: Reuseable Items.” ↩

  16. Beaver Beacon, March 1976, “Girl Scout’s” notice. ↩

  17. Beaver Beacon, March 1978, honor-roll listing. ↩

  18. Beaver Beacon, June 1981, “Graduation — A Time to Be Remembered.” ↩

  19. Beaver Beacon, June 1987, track-meet results. ↩

  20. Beaver Beacon, October 1979, birth notice for Richard Nelson DeRosia. ↩

  21. Beaver Beacon, June 1986, birth notice for Heather Marie Wilson. ↩

  22. Beaver Beacon, April 2011, “In Memory: June DeRosia.” ↩

Kin

This articleDick DeRosiaPeggy SueDeRosiab. 1974
Only relations stated in the sources are drawn; absence means unrecorded, not childless or unmarried.

The dated record

6 dated events · 1973–1976These years on the timeline →

Sources

  1. Names DeRosia as vice-president in the visible portion of the annual election report; the remaining roster is cut by a page break in the held OCR.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1973-01_Beaver-Beacon
  2. The held seven-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1973-01_Beaver-Beacon
  3. Names Mr. Richard DeRosia of Beaver Island as Peggy Sue’s father. The exact Richard/Dick bridge is editorial, based on the same surname and island context, not a civil record.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1974-02_Beaver-Beacon
  4. The held eleven-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1974-02_Beaver-Beacon
  5. Reports the Dick DeRosia family operating the Ding-a-lings trailer stand at the ferry dock. It does not establish a license, exact ownership shares, or a complete business history. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1976-05_Beaver-Beacon
  6. The held combined issue confirms the business notice.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1976-05_Beaver-Beacon
  7. The held eleven-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1974-02_Beaver-Beacon
  8. Reports Richard and June DeRosia as the new managers of the Beavertail restaurant, unfamiliar with the island but working hard to fill a gap in island eating places.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1970-06_Beaver-Beacon
  9. Asks Islanders with knowledge of unmarked St. James Cemetery graves to contact Dick DeRosia, and credits the Dick DeRosia family with keeping the cemetery neat; reports material purchased for forty new grave crosses.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1973-02_Beaver-Beacon
  10. Reports Dick DeRosia, Ron Wozan, and Walt Wozan clearing harbor ice for a children's skating party and preparing the snowmobile-race track. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1975-03_Beaver-Beacon
  11. Reports the Dick DeRosia family opening the Ding-a-lings trailer stand at the ferry dock, selling hamburgers, hot dogs, and other snack items. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1976-05_Beaver-Beacon
  12. Beaver Beacon, April 2011, "In Memory: June DeRosia."
    Reports the March 18, 2011 death of June DeRosia, 71, born 1939 in Flint, who lived on Beaver Island from the early 1970s to the early 1980s before moving to Onaway; survived by her husband Richard and five children, Sherrie DeRosia, Tina Wilson, Debbie Stoneham, Tonia Lewis, and Peggy DeRosia. This is the source that identifies Dick DeRosia's given name as Richard and supplies his wife's death and family record. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2011-04_Beaver-Beacon
  13. Lists Dick and June DeRosia among a small group of newcomers spending the winter of 1970-71 on the island.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1971-01_Beaver-Beacon
  14. Announces the October 12, 1971 birth of Tonia Rae DeRosia to Mr. and Mrs. Dick DeRosia at the Beaver Island Medical Center.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1971-10_Beaver-Beacon
  15. Names Mr. and Mrs. Dick DeRosia as chairmen of the Civic Association's St. Patrick's Day lunch.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1972-02_Beaver-Beacon
  16. Reports June and Dick DeRosia, with Ed Wojan, planning and supervising the St. Patrick's Day snowmobile and foot races.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1972-03_Beaver-Beacon
  17. Reports Dick DeRosia placing third in a snowmobile race and June DeRosia placing fourth in the women's "Powder Puff" race.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1971-03_Beaver-Beacon
  18. Names June DeRosia as the club's "Euchre Queen" for the 1978-79 season. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1979-04_Beaver-Beacon
  19. Lists Dick DeRosia as the appointee for "Township Cemetery," alongside other township appointees such as harbor master and airport manager.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1973-05_Beaver-Beacon
  20. Beaver Beacon, November 2003, "Thirty Years Ago" retrospective.
    Reports that the Game Club's 1973 Hunter's Dinner fed 132 people with Dick DeRosia as head chef. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2003-11_Beaver-Beacon
  21. Advertises the boat-dock concession stand for sale, contact Richard DeRosia, St. James. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1977-09_Beaver-Beacon
  22. Asks islanders to leave reusable items at Dick DeRosia's, located next to the Township Cemetery. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1978-04_Beaver-Beacon
  23. Names Sherry DeRosia among the leaders of an early, not-yet-official Brownie Scout troop. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1976-03_Beaver-Beacon
  24. Lists Tonia DeRosia (grade 1) and Tina DeRosia (grade 11) on the school honor roll. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1978-03_Beaver-Beacon
  25. Lists Debra Ann "Debbie" DeRosia, daughter of Dick and June, in the Beaver Island graduating class of 1981. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1981-06_Beaver-Beacon
  26. Lists Peggy DeRosia competing in the softball throw, long jump, hurdles, and 80m dash. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1987-06_Beaver-Beacon
  27. Reports the October 6, 1979 birth of Richard Nelson DeRosia to Sherry DeRosia, naming Dick and June DeRosia as grandparents and Tina, Debbie, Tonia, and Peggy as aunts. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1979-10_Beaver-Beacon
  28. Reports the April 15, 1986 birth of Heather Marie Wilson in Flint to Dale and Tina (DeRosia) Wilson, naming Dick and June DeRosia of Beaver Island as grandparents. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1986-06_Beaver-Beacon

Added 1 August 2026 · revised 5 August 2026. Recent changes

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “Dick DeRosia”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/people/dick-derosia/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Beacon, January 1973, “Civic Association.” (and 26 further sources listed on the page).

Last revised 2026-08-05. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.

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