Van Rossem acquired national fame through the TV program Here are the Van Rossems† In it she discussed the cultural heritage of a different city every week with her brothers Vincent and Maarten, the well-known historian. Mary was given the nickname Sis by her brother Maarten and is an abbreviation of the English word ‘sister’.
The NTR program started in 2015 and had 48 episodes in eight seasons. In another series from 2019, called Brothers in BerlinMary had to be absent due to health problems. She was unable to participate in the program at the time because of emphysema, a chronic condition of the lungs characterized by a chronic cough, shortness of breath and wheezing in the chest.
For a large part of her life, Van Rossem worked in education, both at secondary schools and at the Hogeschool Utrecht. Since 2018, Sis has been writing a column for Martin!the magazine of her brother Maarten.
Omroep NTR describes Van Rossem as ‘an exceptionally witty and erudite woman, who often made us roar with laughter. But also someone who was able to bring art history closer to the people and who did not hesitate to give her own, sometimes contradictory opinion’.
In consultation with the family, the remainder of the current season of Here are the Van Rossems will still be broadcast, according to the NTR. There are three remaining episodes. The first episode of the ninth season was filmed three weeks ago. That episode, in which the family visits Zierikzee, is broadcast by the broadcaster ‘as a tribute to Sis’ after the current season.