Girone was born Rose Raubvogel on 13 January 1912, in Janów,
Austrian Poland (now
Ivano-Frankove, Ukraine after post-war border changes). The family moved to
Hamburg where they operated a
theatrical costume shop. While in Hamburg, she learned to knit from an aunt. In 1938, she married Julius Mannheim before moving to
Breslau. Her daughter Rena was born in December of that year. Shortly after relocation, the
Nazis launched
Kristallnacht, and Mannheim was sent to the
Buchenwald concentration camp. In 1939, with the help of a cousin, Girone acquired a visa to flee to
Shanghai, China, and Mannheim was released under the condition that they would leave the country. She sold knitted wear and Mannheim worked as a taxi driver. == Life in the United States ==