On a lark, Rosalind Rich Rieser once visited a psychic. The woman told her that in another life, she had been “Alexandra the Great,” a pronouncement that didn’t surprise her friends or family. She had a habit of being frank and offering her opinion when asked.
“My mother wasn’t afraid to speak her mind,” said her son Charles Needle. “But her heart was always in the right place.”
Rieser, 86, died of a stroke on July 25, 2025,in the Hilton Head, South Carolina, oceanfront house her parents had built in the 1970s. She had left Atlanta in the 1990s and moved to the coast, where she enjoyed walking on the beach, watching waves and being part of the Hilton Head arts community.
Her mother, Atlanta native Katherine Rosenheim Rieser, was the great-granddaughter of Morris Rich, a dry goods merchant and one of three brothers who eventually opened the iconic Rich’s department store in Atlanta. Her father, Dr. Charles Ely Rieser, was chief of urology at Emory Hospital and one of the founding members of the Emory Clinic.
Growing up in Atlanta, Rieser had been involved in the arts from childhood. Her cousin Robert Barnett was the artistic director of the Atlanta Ballet, and she began taking dance classes as a little girl. As a junior at Christ the King High School, she was recruited to appear on the cover of Atlanta Magazine in February 1956, whispering to Cupid, right before Valentine’s Day.
“She was really proud of that, it was a wonderful creative outlet for her,” said her son. “She loved hearts and Valentine’s Day.”
She danced with the Atlanta Civic Ballet, before it became the Atlanta Ballet in 1967.
Once, when she was on stage with the Atlanta Civic Ballet, a set started to fall over on her. She gracefully reached behind her and put it back in place, then continued dancing. She liked dancing but thought a professional dancing career “would be too rigorous,” Needle said.
Rosalind Rieser graduated from Stephens College in Missouri with an associate degree in early childhood education. She began teaching kindergarten at the Lovett School, which she had attended in elementary and middle school.
She married Richard Joseph Needle.
After Charles and his sister Katherine were born, Rieser stopped teaching. She was active on the Teen Board at Rich’s and served as directory editor for the National Council of Jewish Women.
Rieser’s mother, known as Kitty, was an arts patron. She was to have been on the Atlanta Arts Association 1962 tour of Europe, “but at the last minute, she didn’t go,” said Needle. On the return flight home, the plane crashed shortly after takeoff at Paris’ Orly Airport, killing almost everyone on board.
Though she ended her dance career, Rieser continued to take an interest in the arts. She began doing ceramics, bead art and glass art, often taking classes at the Penland School of Craft. She would create necklaces with her glass beads and precious stones, sell them and donate the proceeds to Penland. She also sold her glass beads in art galleries.
In addition to her son and daughter, Rosalind Rieser is survived by grandson Sterling Dyess of Sparks, Nevada, niece Robyn Barkin of Atlanta, and nephew David Rieser of Sydney, Australia.
A graveside service is scheduled for noon on April 4, at Westview Cemetery. Rabbi Steven Lebow will officiate, followed by a celebration of life reception at the Swan Coach House at 1:30 p.m., 3130 Slaton Drive, NW.
Those wishing to honor Rieser’s memory may donate to the Rosalind Rich Rieser Memorial Scholarship at the Penland School of Craft.
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