Rose Marie Huntley, 80, transitioned to her eternal rest on Thursday, January 8, 2026. She was born on June 7, 1945, in Clinton, North Carolina to the late Lillie Mae Williams and Milburn Stephens.

Rose grew up in Salisbury, Maryland and graduated from Salisbury High School, Class of 1963. After graduating, Rose set out to travel and make a life for herself in new places. Rose was determined, resilient, and true to herself. She had a spunkiness that never faded.

Rose found her passion in manufacturing electronics. She worked at Hewlett Packard (HP) for eight years in Denver, Colorado and later took her expertise to HP in Dover, New Jersey in 1974.

Rose began a new chapter, when she met the love of her life, Cecil Huntley. After playing hard to get, the two wed on April 13, 1978, surrounded by cherished family and friends. Not long after, Rose had a desire to return to her roots - a place called home. The two moved to Salisbury, Maryland in 1980 where they designed and built their family home. The Huntley home would become the backdrop to countless pool parties, cookouts, and holiday gatherings.

In 1979, Rose started the next phase of her career in electronics at K&L Microwave until the early 2000s. She was the supervisor of the "IB" department – the name she gave her team because they had to solder "itty bitty" parts under microscope.

Not surprising, Rose had to keep busy and her retirement did not last long. She became a teacher's assistant at Bennett Middle School and then started a part-time job at Tidal Health (formerly Peninsula Regional Medical Center) in Medical Transport prior to becoming a Radiology Technician at this same hospital. Later, Rose returned to employment in the electronics field at Filter Networks and RDI for several years. Finally, she worked at Residence Inn brightening the mornings of guests with her warm smile and caring nature until 2019 when she stepped forward, without a second thought, to care for her sister. Rose was hard-working and she had a heart to serve others.

Along with her parents, Rose was preceded in death by her husband of 42 years Cecil, siblings Dot Stephens, Lillie Price, Earl Stephens, and Christine Doane. She leaves behind her sister, Lisa (Dale) Pusey; one niece whom she treasured as her daughter, Danah (DeVon) Artis, and their girls, Gabriela and Giavanna who made Rose beam with pride whenever she mentioned their names; a devoted niece, Terri Doane Savage; long-time friends, Brenda (Joe) Scates and Towanda (Bob) Sample; and a host of other cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.

A celebration of Rose's life will be held from 3pm-5pm on Saturday, January 17, 2026 at Howell & Jolley Memorial Chapel in Salisbury, Maryland. Feel free to drop by and honor our beloved Rose. We welcome your presence for any length of time.