In a world where true friendship is more precious than gold, the Gang of Six members are arguably some of the Coast’s wealthiest women.
The tight-knit group, composed of Cathy Beeding, Connie Rockco, Vicki Rosetti-Applewhite, Misty Shaw- Feder, Kathy Hughes Shaughnessy and Kim Fritz, have weathered more than two decades of highs and lows.
“In a nutshell, we are a group of close friends who have shared it all — joy, heartache, weddings, funerals, graduations, celebrations, relocations, promotions, retirements, wins, losses, Illness, injuries and recoveries,” says Rosetti-Applewhite. “We’ve cried a lot, but we have laughed a whole lot more.”
“In a nutshell, we are a group of close friends who have shared it all — joy, heartache, weddings, funerals, graduations, celebrations, relocations, promotions, retirements, wins, losses, Illness, injuries and recoveries,” says Rosetti-Applewhite. “We’ve cried a lot, but we have laughed a whole lot more.”
Rosetti-Applewhite’s dad coined the “Gang of Six” moniker after he painted an abstract portrait of the women as a Christmas gift. The name stuck and reflected the loyalty of a group that never misses a birthday or Christmas together.
“We love each other, plain and simple,” Rockco says. “We support each other and raise each other up. We celebrate one another’s successes and morn our defeats. We respect our attributes and overlook our flaws.”
Beeding calls the group “rock solid” and says mutual respect is at the core of their friendship.
“This year has been particularly challenging, with a lot of loss and tragedy, and there have been moments of stress that have made some of us a bit short with each other,” Beeding says. “It is in those moments we remember that what gives us strength is our tight bonds with one another.”
FORGING A FRIENDSHIP
Far from forming overnight, the Gang of Six coalesced over the course of many years. Shaw-Feder describes the process as “a layering turn of events”; she has known Fritz since 1999, having met her through work, and she hit it off with Rosetti-Applewhite, one of the more recent additions, at the Rockco Christmas Party in 2005.
“Though we are a ‘gang,’ every one of us has an individual relationship with the other five,” Shaw-Feder says. “I like that about us.”
Fritz’s favorite thing about the group is that they’re close like family, but without many of the complications. The six members can always depend on each other, she adds, and there’s never any envy or competition among them.
MAKING MEMORIES
Together, the group has faced the ravages of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, the loss of loved ones, serious injuries and health diagnoses and many other challenges. However, their shared heartbreaks don’t seem to define them as much as the countless moments of joy and laughter.
For instance, Rockco officiated weddings for Rosetti-Applewhite and Shaughnessy. When Rosetti- Applewhite was baptized in 2021, Shaw-Feder was by her side. When Shaw-Feder and Beeding moved into their new homes, and when Rockco marked her 50th wedding anniversary to her husband, the gang celebrated together.
One of Shaughnessy’s fondest memories is from a birthday trip to Belize.
“We had a blast snorkeling that day, and later that evening, we took a cab to dinner to a remote place that must have taken over 40 minutes to get to,” she says. “When we arrived, the restaurant had just closed. Luckily our cab driver did not leave us stranded. We laughed the whole way back to town.”
PICKING YOUR SISTERS
As the friends ring in 2025, they’re looking forward to more travel, more celebrations and, of course, more laughter.
“Whatever happens,” says Rosetti-Applewhite, “we will see it through together, I suspect — with champagne.”
“You don’t pick your family,” Rockco says, “but when you can pick a group of ladies as your sisters that you love, it is a true blessing.”