Rosalie Jean Willis worked as a waitress before becoming the first wife of cult leader Charles Manson. She had to bear the burden of being the wife of a monster, as well as the deaths of all three of her children before she could rest in peace.
Willis, Rosalie Jean Is this the first wife of Charles Manson?
Page Contents
- 1 Willis, Rosalie Jean Is this the first wife of Charles Manson?
- 2 Charles Manson married Rosalie Jean Willis. She was 15 years old at the time
- 3 Her son with Manson committed suicide
- 4 After her divorce from Charles, she married twice
- 5 Rosalie Jean Willis’ three children all died in unusual circumstances
- 6 What became of Rosalie Jean Willis? Her Demise
As previously stated, Rosalie Jean Willis was the first wife of American criminal Charles Manson. On January 28, 1937, she was born in the United States. She was raised as the daughter of Clarence Willis and Virginia McNich. Rosalie, the third of her parents’ four children, grew up in a typical family.
She spent the majority of her childhood with her parents and siblings in Benwood, West Virginia. Clarence “Buster” Willis, 84, had two older sisters, Amy and Eileen, as well as a brother. Unfortunately, her parents and siblings are no longer alive. Rosalie was of Caucasian descent and an American citizen.
Charles Manson married Rosalie Jean Willis. She was 15 years old at the time
Rosalie Jean Willis married Charles Manson on January 7, 1955. Their wedding took place in a private ceremony at Nazarene Church, attended by close friends and family. Rosalie was only a 15-year-old teenager when she married Manson, who was reportedly 20 at the time.
The former couple first met while Willis was working as a waitress in a hospital. Charles, a part-time auto mechanic and car thief, was forced to relocate to Charleston, West Virginia, with his mother Kathleen Maddox. Maddox met Rosalie’s father there and laid the groundwork for the infamous marriage.
However, the most intriguing fact is that Willis married Manson despite knowing he was a thief. Her desire to change him after marriage proved an unattainable goal. As a result, she filed for divorce three years into her marriage, in 1958, and it was finalized the same year.
Her son with Manson committed suicide
After a three-year marriage with Charles, Rosalie Jean Willis gave birth to Charles Manson Jr. in 1956. She was only about three months pregnant when Charles was sentenced to Terminal Island prison in San Pedro, California, for smuggling a stolen car across the border.
She cared for the child on her own while her then-husband was away until her mother arrived. Willis married another man and relocated to a new city as her child grew older. Her oldest son, on the other hand, struggled to overcome the stigma of being the son of a criminal. Around the age of 37, he shot himself in the head.
After her divorce from Charles, she married twice
Rosalie was much more than Charles’ wife. After her divorce from him, she married twice. For the second time, she married a man named Jack White. Despite the fact that she has not stated when she married Jack, they reportedly had a good but brief relationship. In 1965, they divorced amicably.
As a result of their marriage, she had two children. Jesse J. White, her first child, was born in 1958, and her second child was born in 1959. After divorcing her second husband, Willis married Warren Howard “Jack” Handley for the third time. They had a good relationship, but it wouldn’t last long. Things got worse for her when she had to witness the deaths of all of her children in front of her eyes.
Rosalie Jean Willis’ three children all died in unusual circumstances
She had to go through a lot of pain, but she did. Rosalie had to witness the deaths of all of her children. Her children from her second marriage died along with Charles Manson Jr., whom she renamed Jay White (after her second husband).
The tragedy began in January 1971, when her 11-year-old son Jed died. His death was allegedly caused by an accident in which her friend accidentally shot him in the stomach while they were playing.
Similarly, at the age of 28, her second child, Jesse, was discovered dead in his car. On the night of his death, he and a friend were drinking at a bar in Houston, Texas, according to reports. His death was reportedly caused by a drug overdose.
What became of Rosalie Jean Willis? Her Demise
Rosalie is no longer here. According to to Find a Grave, she died on August 21, 2009, nearly 11 years after the death of her third husband in 1998. She died as a result of a lung cancer complication, according to reports. When she died, she was at home in Tucson, Arizona.
Rosalie was 71 years old when this happened. She was laid to rest in Boulder City, Clark County, Nevada, at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery. Charles Manson, her first husband, died on November 19, 2017, at the age of 83, in Bakersfield, California.
