Rosalie was born on a farm west of Hamilton, on Aug. 24, 1931. She was the oldest of six children born to her parents, Jay and Millie Hollis. At the age of six months, she moved with her family to a farm in Gove County. The family later returned to Greenwood County when that farm was devastated by the dust bowl.
Rosalie attended Ruweda Grade School through eighth grade. She attended Hamilton High School for three years, then married Jim Garrison on June 29, 1948. They lived northwest of Eureka, in the Upper Fall River Area until they eventually moved to Eureka. They shared 69 years of marriage before Jim passed away in 2017 At the age of 35, Rosalie earned her GED. She began working as a nurse aid at the Lyndon Nursing Home in Eureka. She went on to graduate from nursing school with honors, and eventually rose to the position of nursing home administrator. She retired at the age of 61, as an administrator, and later worked at the Greenwood County Register of Deeds office.
