John de Rosa was born on May 20, 1924. He fought in World War II and attended the Art Institute of Chicago on the G.I. Bill where he took a course by Lynn Lagerstrom, whom he later he married. He then attended the Art Students League in New York. He was a member and exhibitor at the Huckleberry Mountain Workshop Camp and Artists’ Colony in Hendersonville, North Carolina.

Throughout their years together, Lynn and John shared a passion for art. They were very active in the Huntington, New York arts community and operated The Primavera Art Gallery in Huntington, NY since 1981. 

John de Rosa died in Huntington, NY in December of 1987.