Rosa Dean Hoffman on a Quonset hut, a key lime pie cart called the Key Lime Queen, and the dead-end street in Key West that finally became home.
Rosa Dean Hoffman has owned a lot of homes. Ask her about any one of them, and what you get isn't a floor plan. It's a story.
Smalleville
Rosa's first house wasn't really a house at all, at least not to start. She and her husband Al lived in a 29-foot travel trailer for three or four years before saving enough from a Myrtle Beach business to put a down payment on a place called Smalleville, land once owned by a family called the Smalls, built around a leftover military Quonset hut from the old Air Force base.
"His name was Shorty Elvis. Shorty was really short. You came in the front door, and it was fine, but when Al went out the back door, he had to duck his head because the door was so short."
— Rosa Dean Hoffman
They ran a candy shop nearby that they called the Candy Castle. Rosa's brother worked alongside them, paid not in cash but in sugar, so he could keep his whiskey still running on the side.
"He made moonshine and sold it, and he was very happy."
— Rosa Dean Hoffman
Marker 51
Over the years, Al had a habit of coming home with news of property he'd already bought. One day it was a stretch of old oyster-factory land on the Intracoastal Waterway in McClellanville, South Carolina, thirteen acres with its own water system.
"I asked why, and he said he liked it."
— Rosa Dean Hoffman
They built an elevated A-frame there to survive hurricane season, and lived at what they called marker 51 until Hurricane Hugo took nearly everything. When Hurricane Ivan came years later, they evacuated south instead of north, guessing correctly that the storm would sweep through where they'd just left. They came home to find the lot stripped down to the base of a commode. Neighbors picked through what the storm hadn't taken.
The Key Lime Queen
For years, whenever Al asked where Rosa wanted to vacation, the answer was always the same.
"It was always Key West. I told him no, we would live and die and be buried there."
— Rosa Dean Hoffman
She meant it literally enough to walk into Key West's City Hall and ask to buy herself a cemetery plot. She was told, not unreasonably, that they only sold plots to the deceased.
"They asked, 'Who's dead?' I said, 'Nobody. I want it for when I do die.'"
— Rosa Dean Hoffman
They bought a house instead. While they settled into life on Elgin Lane, Rosa started baking and selling key lime pies from a cart at Mallory Square, known around town as Diamonding, the Key Lime Queen, alongside a specialty she called the Walkaway Sundae.
Grinnell Street
It was from Elgin Lane that Al once again showed up with news.
"He took me to Grinnell Street, which was off Truman Avenue. It was a dead-end street that ended at a cemetery, giving a true meaning to the word 'dead end.'"
— Rosa Dean Hoffman
The house waiting for them there had been empty long enough that the refrigerator's contents had petrified and the floor had holes you had to watch your step around. They gutted it, rebuilt it, added French doors off the kitchen, and made it home.
It was in that Grinnell Street house, years later, that Al had a heart attack. Rosa got him to the hospital in time.
"He told the doctor, 'I'm having a heart attack. It's her fault.' The doctor said, 'You are having a heart attack. She got you to the right place at the right time.'"
— Rosa Dean Hoffman
He recovered, and when Rosa asked him what mattered most to him now, his answer was simple: the grandchildren. They sold the house and moved to Pensacola to be near family, close enough that the Blue Angels practiced over their new roof twice a week.
Still Home
Al passed away fifteen years ago. Rosa still lives near the Intracoastal Waterway in Florida, with her son visiting daily and her daughter not far behind.
"I feel well-loved and cared for."
— Rosa Dean Hoffman
A trailer. A Quonset hut. A dead-end street that turned out to be exactly where she wanted to stay. Every home Rosa has ever owned turns out to be part of the same story: a woman who knew what she wanted, and usually got it, one down payment at a time.
Every life has a story worth keeping. Memorygram helps you write yours.
Rosa's memoir began with a single prompt and a lifetime of homes ready to be told. Yours can begin too.
Such a great idea! I’m so glad we found this and am collecting my parents’ stories, in their own word, before it’s too late. I can’t speak to the quality of the book since we haven’t printed it yet, but the platform and process have all been really easy to use. Love it!
My 86 year old father LOVES this. We are still in the process with weekly calls which he loves because even though he can’t find his keys some days , his memory for things going back decades is unrivaled and he will talk for 45 minutes about such detailed things from his past! it’s quite fascinating. We work together to come up with the questions that he would like to answer. We have enough questions to last quite a long time. I don’t have any idea how we’re going to finally be able to edit and put it in a book, but we are enjoying the process. For him it’s perfect to be able to just talk and for it to be recorded.
Very nice platform and features. Support has been very helpful when experiencing issues with features. They are responsive and have taken care of everything I have uncovered. Needed an order that I couldn't place on the site, and they were very helpful in getting it adjusted per my request.
I already completed my book for my children and siblings it was a great experience that I started in June and needed for Christmas.
Memorygram customer service ,
Kris in particular took care quickly of my many questions and concerns, and rushed it through well before Christmas.
When my wife said she wanted to try to write a memoir in chapters instead of questions I immediately suggested MemoryGram. She is still just getting started but finding it the perfect solution.
I captured many of my college fraternity stories using Memorygram as a 50th Reunion gift for my Colgate DU Brothers. It was a huge success and the guys loved the crazy memories presented in an attractive hard cover book! Well done!!
I love the memorial page and the Heart with the QR code is great. Being to scan it and go directly to his page knowing I won’t have to search for it is wonderful. I brought one for each of my parents as well and the loved it.
I love memorygram it has been wonderful to have a place for our memories of my decreased husband not just for me but his family and our children and grandchildren and one day their children.
I’m starting the process, but I’m so excited. This will be a fancy version of my grandma’s original family history!
(The Rose Tree).👵🏻🌹🧑🧑🧒🧒📖✍🏻
/JN (Jan/13/26)
This was an extra tag I’d purchased after I realized I should’ve gotten two. I could not figure out how to order one on the website so I went to Facebook and sent a message. I got a very prompt response with the help I needed. Within minutes I was able to place my order. I was very impressed and happy with the customer service. I’m also very satisfied with the memorial site I’ve been able to create for my son.
My mother absolutely loves this, thank you for such a thoughtful, amazing memory maker that I can pass down for generations to come to my children. What a gift!!!!!!
I have ordered books from Memorygram three times. I have found the pages of the books as well as the hardcover to be of extremely high quality, made to last for generations. The website is very user friendly and the customer service exceptional. I would highly recommend this company to anyone wishing to leave a legacy.
I found the Memorygram experience both easy and interesting. It was interesting in that the more I got into answering their question set, the more I remembered events in my life that gave me better insight to respond, It is a very solid product that lets you essentially design the book as you would like your life and experiences presented. The result is a keepsake that can be passed to future generations in a format which is easy for someone to read through. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to express their experiences and thoughts, either with a partner or individually.
I recently had a bench dedicated for my son. The plaque is nice, but I was very happy to see these medallions advertised. I immediately ordered one for the bench. The adhesive seems to be very strong and should last. My only issue has been uploading photos and a video. I figured out the photos but have not had luck with the video. Overall, I love this product and have suggested it to friends.
Store owner replied:
Hi Pamela!
Thank you so much for your kind words. We are truly honored to help preserve his legacy for you and your family. Our team is reaching out to you via email now to help get those videos uploaded so they can be included and cherished for years to come.
I love that I have an indoor memorial for my husband that I can share with our friends and family.
I ordered two, one for my daughter’s monument and one to have in our home. I love these and the customer service I have received from Danielle has been superb. She answers my emails the same day and has resolved any issues promptly. Best customer service ever!
I adore my dog tags. I made the memorial in honor of my dad, and the tags did not disappoint. Anytime I wanted to show my friends and family, the QR code worked wonderfully. Any problem that I might have had was resolved very quickly. Only thing is I wish you could add more pics at a time but otherwise it is fantastic.
Well, my daughter and I purchased it for my husband for Father's day. He has a lot of history and stories from his military experience, work as a postal executive and just life in general. We are a blended family. so this is something he can pass down to his grandchildren and great children...it's just an amazing way for him to share his life with his family, young and old.
Hello Memorygram,
I just want to say that things are going very well with the Memorygram tool. It’s not only easy to use, but it’s also deeply meaningful. It allows me to preserve, organize, and reflect on moments that matter—stories that might otherwise be forgotten.
It’s been a powerful part of my personal journey, especially as I work to honor family history, culture, and hard-earned wisdom across generations. Thank you for creating something that respects memory and empowers legacy.
Gratefully,
Murf
I love that it came with both the necklace and Keychain. I use it as a Keychain and shared the link with several friends and family who really love the idea to memorialize their own loved ones.
I lost my daughter a year ago. I was working on this for a couple of days to add pictures and videos of her life. It's a great idea to keep your loved ones alive. Thank you for creating this tool.
I am writing my own memoir stories instead of using the questions provided (although they are quite good), and am enjoying the experience. I am having difficulty adding photos to my stories, though. Any help would be appreciated.
Your site is easily navigated and easy to understand, so thanks for that.
S Pope
Store owner replied:
Hi Sarah. Thank you so much for your kind words! We designed Memorygram to be easy for every age and tech level. We’ll email you right away with simple steps for adding photos to make sure you are set —happy writing!
this is a good way to share your thought and memory to the love one who has left us too soon, no matter what age they were. they will always be young in our hearts
I love the heart I ordered for my son’s grave stone. I have not yet gotten to add Dominic’s memories to the QR but I can’t wait to share his memories and his life.
The heart plaque is very well made and quality material. I also ordered the dog tag necklace. I love wearing it in memory of My Dominic.
This has helped me with my grieving process. I could out this out there and anyone who wanted to know about my son could scan the memory gram and know al about him. Everyone has enjoyed being able to learn about Ethan and what he was like when he was here on earth.
