To one, she is a living legend.   To another, she is a saving grace.   To a third, she’s Aunt Rosie. But, if asked what she calls herself, she gently responds: “Just Rose.”

Recently turned 90-year-old Rose Borkowski of Tilton Street in the Port Richmond section was honored by nearly 100 of her closest friends and family at a banner year birthday party on Jan. 27. Her friends, however, weren’t only other nonagenarians but little kids and youthful adults.  Her family was made up of her two sons, their families, their families’ families, former co-workers, neighbors, and the neighbors’ kids whom she helped raise.

Good friend, loyal coworker and loving mother and grandmother, Rose Borkowski lives life by a few simple rules. “No drinking! No smoking! No medicine … unless it is absolutely necessary!”  But, more importantly, noted her granddaughter and love of her life, Nina: “[She taught me] how to be good to other human beings, in general.”  If a homeless person was on the street asking for money, she would give money.  “If I have,” her granddaughter recalled her saying, “I give.”

Rose doesn’t only engage in the kind of giving that involves money.  She is known for her generosity with her time and emotional strength.  The daughter of Austrian immigrants, Rose became a surrogate mother to her deceased sister’s son, Joe Matkovic, at the age of 14.  She married John Borkowski  in 1955, adopted their son Mark in 1961 (Mark  later went on to star in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire), and was widowed in 1973.

But, gentle and strong Rose was never, ever lonely.  Next door neighbor Ursala Wagner bought her grandmother’s house in 1975 and Rose immediately stepped in to help.  “Rose was always friendly and neighborly,” Wagner noted.   It was Rose who helped her out when a divorce made raising two young children nearly undoable.  “[She] would help me plan my meals and then cook them for me,” Wagner recalls.  “Sometimes [when I was at my second job], Rose would hand a crock pot over the cinderblock wall that separated our homes so my kids could have dinner.”

One of Rose’s coworkers from her time at Oxford Binary, Mable Jackson, recalls their 38 years together fondly.  “[Rose] is a beautiful person — easygoing, lovable,” Jackson notes.  “We got along so good,” she giggled.  “I taught her the job.”

Terri King worked at Oxford Binary with Rose, as well.  King learned a very valuable lesson from Rose.  “We had fun,” King recalled.  “And, she never gave up.”

Despite the music and laughter going on at her celebratory dinner, Rose admitted “she’s not a partier.”  She does like to read, do puzzles and babysit.    Thankfully, there are plenty of kids in Port Richmond who need her loving service.

One of those kids, who is now all grown up, is her granddaughter, Nina, who has two children of her own, whom Rose admits “have added more years to her life.”  One of Nina’s potent memories of her Grandma Rose took place on the Wildwood boardwalk.  “I used to make her walk me on the boardwalk until all of the piers were closed, “ Nina recalled.  “She would wait for me until I was done having fun.”

As Rose stood at her three-tiered white and pink birthday cake, arms lovingly swung over the shoulders of two of her young friends and the entire room belted out Happy Birthday, Rose ‘s sweet smile spread across her face.

“Happy Birthday, Rose!” the crowed cheered. “We love you!”