Rosaire Marie Nottage
October 7, 1948 ~ December 21, 2025
Born in:
Brooklyn, NY
Resided in:
Asheville, NC
Asheville Butterfly TrailRosaire Marie Nottage, 77, passed away on Sunday, December 21, 2025.
Once described by Chicago Tribune Magazine as a “pitbull,” Rosaire Nottage was a woman of remarkable strength, intelligence, and wit. A devoted wife, mother, sister, and aunt, she balanced an intense professional life with deep love for her family, with her humor and directness being as much a part of her legacy as her legal skill. Rosaire passed away peacefully this week after a life defined by fierce advocacy, independence, and unwavering purpose.
Born in Brooklyn and raised on Long Island and in New Jersey, Rosaire was a daughter of the late Edward and Dorothy Burke Nottage. She moved to Chicago in 1971. She worked by day writing federal grants and contracts while attending law school at night, earning her law degree from Loyola University. Though she once aspired to practice antitrust law, she was assigned divorce work at Bell, Boyd & Lloyd, an assignment she initially believed would end her legal career. Instead, it launched a new one.
Partnering with Eunice Ward in 1987, Rosaire rose to the upper echelon of Chicago’s legal community. For more than three decades, she was a commanding presence in the challenging world of matrimonial law. Known for her sharp courtroom instincts, serrated wit, and refusal to be intimidated, she earned wide respect as one of the city’s most formidable and accomplished divorce attorneys.
Outside the courtroom, Rosaire shared a loving 47-year marriage with her husband, E. “Mike” Bauer. Together they raised their two children, Laura (42) (and spouse, Lt. Col. Kevin Williams, USMC) and Charlie (40). She was a proud grandmother to Paul (10), Ryan (8), and twins Rosie and Townes (7). She delighted in the lives of her family and fiercely supported each of them. She is also survived by her sister, Sheila Kietel; brothers, Edward Nottage and Harry Nottage; niece, Catherine Schaub; and sister-in-law, Barbara Hall and Carol Bauer. After retiring to Asheville, North Carolina in 2015, Rosaire embraced a slower pace while remaining deeply engaged with the family and friends important to her. She was a voracious reader, an avid gardener, and found quiet joy in solving the most challenging puzzles.
Rosaire Nottage leaves behind a legacy of courage, integrity, and love- a reminder that authority is earned, that one’s voice matters, and that lasting change often comes from standing your ground with conviction.
The family will plan a memorial service at a later date.
Services
Funeral Home Assisting The Family:
Groce Funeral Home - Patton Ave.
1401 Patton Ave.
Asheville, NC 28806
(828)252-3535
http://grocefuneralhome.com
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Rosaire will be remembered by many, missed by a few, and misunderstood by most—largely because understanding her required patience, repetition, and a tolerance for her opinions. While their presence was inevitable, so too is the quiet that follows and I will miss her greatly. Rosaire leaves behind memories… and she was a wonderful woman capable of so much. God Bless her
What?
Miss her even tho idk who she is yall
Also please improve the candel selection y’all this ain’t the 2000s just. Use chatgpt r smth
Was an old dear friend. Had fun with my children and her children. Lots of fun times in Twin Lakes!
My deepest condolences to Rosaire’s family, Mike, Laura, Charlie and Eunice. Rosaire had such a profound influence on my life as a boss, a mentor, and friend. I am so grateful for Rosaire’s guidance, kindness, and time shared.
Wishing you comfort and peace as you remember and celebrate a life so well lived.
I am so sorry to hear this. My condolences. She was an amazing advocate, and I met her while working on case , and she was just amazing and admirable. My she rest in peace.
I did not know her well personally but her professional reputation was formidable both for her integrity and legal expertise. She and Mike were very close friends of Howard and Phyllis Cohn, our dear friends. I am so sorry for her family. May she rest in peace.
I have just lost a dear and devoted friend of over 50 years. There are so many memories of laughter and fun and special occasions and just hanging around as pals, and then with our families. My husband, Howard, then became pals with her husband, Mike, and it made our time together even more special. Her can-do spirit was unforgettable and she was always trying to pass it along to me. She was my champion, as well as a best friend. I’m lucky she touched my life. Howard and I send loving thoughts to Mike, Laura, Charlie, Eunice, Sheila and extended family. Rosaire is in our hearts forever.
Rosaire Nottage was unique and inimitable. She was a strong and singular influence in my professional life, having, with her law partner Eunice Ward, hired me early on in my legal career, a professional relationship that lasted for the ten years we worked together and afterward. Rosaire was a mentor to me, and I can say without equivocation that I learned more about the practice of law—from the nuts and bolts of ‘practice’ to the subtleties of interaction and discourse on any level connected to the practice of law—from Rosaire than from anyone in my career. Rosaire was disciplined (she arrived every day on time—well, really earlier than ‘on time’), and she was always prepared (more thoroughly than most). Rosaire was gracious with her time, her support and her encouragement no matter the topic or the issue, work or otherwise. Smart and tactical, and a formidable adversary, Rosaire was also empathic and cared a great deal about those around her. I am grateful to have known Rosaire, and especially to have worked with and learned so much from her. Her passing is a loss to all of us who knew or were associated with her in whatever manner.
My condolences to Mike, Laura, Charlie, and to Eunice.
Richard