Obituary of Rose Trabucco

Rose Trabucco, whose life revolved around her family, passed away at the Woburn Nursing Center in Woburn on Thursday night, December 2, 2010. She was 85 years old. Rose was born in East Boston, the daughter of Italian immigrants, the late Filippo and Florence Lombardo. She grew up and was educated in East Boston. She married Paul Trabucco and they settled in Burlington in 1958 to raise their family. Rose took great pride in making a warm and loving home for her family. She enjoyed decorating her home, so she earned a degree in Interior Design. She was a fantastic cook and would often study cook books to improve and create new dishes. Her home was always filled with delicious aromas and food. Rose was happiest sitting around the dining room table sharing her culinary creations with family and friends. She was also a talented painter. After her children had grown up, she did have the opportunity to travel with her husband to Hawaii, Aruba, and other destinations. They made a wonderful couple gliding across the dance floor. Rose did work part time at Jordan Marsh, but joked that she would give back her paycheck on clothing she purchased for her children and grandchildren. She will be remembered for warmth and her devotion to her family and friends. Rose was the beloved wife of the late Paul G. Trabucco. She was the loving mother of Corinne Trabucco & her companion Jack Benedetto of Gloucester, Paul & his wife Karen of Sandown, NH, John & his wife Janice of Greenville, NC, Stephen & his wife Cindy of Billerica, and Leanne Freda & her husband Tony of Burlington. She was the sister of John Lombardo of Osterville, Salvatore Lombardo of Stuart, FL, the late Florence LaQuaglia, Carmen Lombardo, and Angelina Tripodi. She was the proud grandmother of Curtis Klump. Nicole Bonacci, Valerie Conway, Anthony Freda, Domenic Freda, Paul Jr., Christi, Christopher, Brandon, Stephen, Laura, and Matthew Trabucco. Great grandmother of Jackson, Trabucco. Funeral from the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (exit 34 off Rt. 128, Woburn side) on Monday, December 6 at 9 a.m. Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Margaret’s Church, 111 Winn St., Burlington at 10 a.m. Visiting hours Sunday 3-7 p.m. Interment in Chestnut Hill Cemetery, Burlington. Memorials in Rose’s name may be made to Lymphatic Research Foundation (LRF), 40 Garvies Point Road, Suite D, Glen Cove, NY, 11542 or www.lymphaticresearch.org. Family Remembrance by Corinne I asked members of the family and friends what words they would use to describe our Mom, Nana, Auntie Rosie, our friend. Here’s what I got: quiet, strong, kind, gentle, loving, precious, there’s not enough adjectives. She was always there. A friend of mine said “She has grace and dignity. She’s beautiful and you know what they say about beauty. It comes from the Divine.” My whole life, when people met our mother they said, “Your mother is beautiful.” It came from the inside, don’t you think? Dad told my brother John, that he never bought flowers for our mother because he already had a rose. There was a perky side of Rosie Lombardo Trabucco. She had a great sense of humor. She could laugh at herself, and she let us laugh with her. She’d cover her face and giggle when she said something that was a little off. It was infectious, wasn’t it? When she first began to be forgetful, we had this delightful interchange. It was Saturday night, and we were looking for a movie to watch on TV. She looked at me and said uh, uhmm “Aren’t the Good Housekeepers on?” She knew she didn’t quite have it right. I asked, Do you mean the Desperate Housewives? We had tears of laughter rolling down our faces. Some people referred to her as Rosie Andretti or Lead Foot. Often in a hurry to get back to her cooking, my brother Paul recently told us this story. He was around 14 or 15. Mom picked him up at some activity after school. By the time she started down Rte 62 heading toward Wilmington (Remember this is before they widened it.) she was going faster and faster. When the cop who pulled her over got to her window, he said, “Mam, do you realize you were doing 60 mph in a 30 mph zone! What’s the hurry? In Paul’s words, She looked up at him with that look, those eyes, and said,” I have a cake in the oven.” The cop burst out laughing and said, “Well, go, but take it easy!” She always had something in the oven and you can bet it was delicious. Cousin Beth wrote this: “I remember Auntie Rose as a kind, gentle, serene and beautiful woman. I especially remember her blueberry muffins that she would make for us after Corinne, Paula and I picked them in the woods behind your house. If it was a sleepover, there were blueberry pancakes the next morning or muffins that were so light and gentle and perfect. As were the omelets and other food delights that our family ate at your house throughout the years.” And, let us not forget the eggplant parmigiana and the lasagna. Often, we could find Mom studying a recipe book. She was always looking for something good to make. There was always some great leftover in the refrigerator, and many friends or family members were invited to join us for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The love she had in her heart for all of us came out in her cooking. That’s why it tasted so good. On Thursday morning, as I drove to the Nursing Center, I decided to listen to the same station that the nurse had Mom’s radio set on, the Memory Station. It had been playing for 2 days straight. Suddenly, I realized I needed to get there soon, because I felt sure the station would play “In the Mood”, Mom’s and Dad’s favorite music to dance to. I got to her room at 9:15. At 9:45 I heard another swing tune start and thought “Oh well, maybe they aren’t going to play “In the Mood”, and then, it segued into a different swing number, and at that moment I knew that the next segue would be “In the Mood”. I’m pretty sure Dad was in the room, and we all know that he is happy to have her back. And though, Mom looked like she was sleeping, I’m pretty sure they were dancing. Over the last four years, we did our best as a family to keep Mom safe and happy in the home she loved. I know we are all grateful for the opportunity we’ve had to love and care for her. I’m grateful for Leanne and Tony’s daily loving care, the joy Anthony and Domenic gave her, Sunday visits and dinners provided by her sons Paul, John , and Stephen, their gracious wives, her loving grandchildren, Burlington Elder Cooperative Care, the fun that Debby brought when she visited, the incredible gentle and loving kindness of the VNA Hospice people, especially Marie who attended to Mom every morning, and all the nurses and aides there who kept her comfortable. May we all know how enriched we’ve been to love her and be loved by her.