Obituary of Alice Rose

Alice A. Rose, passed away suddenly on Wednesday morning, July 3, 2013, she was 92 years old. Alice was born in Boston. She was one of 13 children born to the late Manuel and Phoebe Rose. Alice was raised and educated in Somerville. She had a successful career working for over 42 years at Raytheon in Waltham. She held the position of Missile Technician as well as Group Leader. Alice enjoyed traveling and had visited such destinations as Hawaii, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Vegas and Florida. She was a past member of the Lt. James A. Logan Post VFW 6800 in Somerville where she was an extremely active member. She loved playing cards and bingo. Alice was blessed with a large and loving family. Her family celebrated her 90th birthday with a family gathering at the American Legion. Alice had a close and special relationship with her nieces and nephews and was always there for them when they were growing up. In later years the role was reversed and her nieces and nephews would do anything for Alice. Alice and her sister Fran were inseparable. You would see them together playing bingo at the Senior Center, attending 4:30 Mass together at St. Margaret’s or shopping! Alice was the beloved sister of Frances Ferreira of Burlington and the late Mary DeSouza, Emma Baldinelli, Evelyn Graff, Edward, William, Rita, Anthony, Robert, Manuel, Virginia and Albert Rose. Alice was also survived by many loving nieces, nephews, great nieces & nephews and great-great nieces & nephews. A visitation will be held at the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (Exit 34 off Rt. 128, Woburn side) on Monday, July 8 from 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM. Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Margaret’s Church, 111 Winn St., Burlington at 12 Noon. Interment in Chestnut Hill Cemetery, Burlington. Memorials in Alice’s name may be made to St. Margaret’s Church, 111 Winn St. MA 01803. CELEBRATION---MEMORIES THIS IS A SAD TIME FOR OUR FAMILY HOWEVER; WE NEED TO LOOK AT ALICE’S PASSING AS A CELEBRATION OF HER LIFE. DID YOU KNOW THAT ALICE WAS ONE OF THIRTEEN CHILDREN OF MANUEL AND PHEOBE ROSE WOW, GOD LOVE MY GRANDMOTHER. THERE IS ONLY ONE LEFT, HER SISTER FRANCES. ALICE NEVER MARRIED, SHE DIDN’T HAVE TIME BECAUSE SHE WAS TO BUSY WITH WORKING AND HELPING RAISE HER SISTER’S 5 CHILDREN, THE DESOUZA CLAN,WHO LIVE DOWNSTAIRS IN THE FAMILY’S PHILADELPHIA STYLE HOME IN SOMERVILLE. WE ALL PLAYED DURING THE DAY AND WAITED FOR OUR AUNTS TO COME HOME FROM WORK AND SOMETIMES GETTING LOOSE FROM OUR BACKYARD TO HAVE ONLY OUR AUNT CATCH US GOING UP OR DOWN THE STREET. THIS FUNNY STORY WAS TOLD TO US. ALICE CAR POOLED TO AND FROM WORK, KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS OCCURRED IN THE 1940’S . THERE WASN’T A LAW ON THE BOOKS FOR THIS. MY MOTHER WOULD PUT US OUT IN THE BACK YARD AND TIE US WITH SOME ROPE AROUND OUR WAST SO WE WOULD NOT WANDER OFF, WELL ONE DAY ALICE WAS COMING DOWN OUR STREET AND SAW 2 LITTLE KIDS STROLLING ALONG HOLDING HANDS AND NOT A STITCH OF CLOTHES ON. SHE HAD HER DRIVER STOP THE VEHICLE, SHE GOT OUT, CAME OVER TO ME AND MY BROTHER AND WITH A STERN VOICE ASKED US WHERE WE WERE GOING. MY BROTHER TOLD HER THAT WE WERE GOING TO CHURCH. THE GATHERINGS, PARTIES, WHETHER IT WAS A HOLIDAY MEAL, OR WHEN HER BROTHERS AND SISTERS WOULD VISIT, THEY WOULD GATHER IN THE LIVING ROOM AROUND THE UPRIGHT PIANO SINGING SONGS. ALICE AND RITA WOULDN’T MIND THE MORE THE MERRIER, JUST PUT A FEW MORE POTATOES IN THE POT. THERE WAS ALWAYS ENOUGH FOOD. DURING THE SUMMER TIME , I REMEMBER ALL THE FAMILY AND CHILDREN WOULD HOP INTO THE CAR AND HEAD FOR THE BEACH OR DRIVE UP TO THE FARM WHERE SISTER EVELYN AND HER HUSBAND LIVED, HAVE COOKOUTS ,THE KIDS WOULD ALL RUN AROUND, COULDN’T GET INTO ANY TROUBLE, TOO MUCH LAND. THESE WERE GREAT TIMES A LOT OF MEMORIES. I THINK ALL OF US DESOUZA KIDS LEARNED HOW TO PLAY CARDS EARLY IN LIFE. THERE WERE ALWAYS CARD GAMES GOING ON WHEN HER BROTHERS AND SISTERS WERE AROUND, NOT JUST ONE CARD GAME, TWO OR THREE GOING ALL AT ONCE. I REMEMBER IN THE MID SIXTIES, I HAD JUST BEEN DISCHARGED FROM THE SERVICE AND HAD MY FIRST JOB, BACK THEN ALICE, RITA AND BILL WERE VERY ACTIVE WITH THE VFW LOGAN POST IN SOMERVILLE, THEY WOULD BE INVOLVED IN PARTIES, INSTALLATIONS ETC. THEY WERE ALWAYS PARTYING, MOSTLY ON WEEKENDS, ONE SATURDAY MORNING I WAS COMING OUT THE FRONT DOOR EARLY IN THE MORNING TO GO TO WORK AND HERE COMES ALICE AND RITA COMING IN. I ASKED ALICE, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN AND NOT EVEN LOOKING AT ME AND WALKING BY ME, SHE SAYS OUT! AS OUR FAMILY GREW UP MARRIED AND MOVED OUT FROM OUR FLAT, THE OLD SOMERVILLE HOUSE NEEDED REPAIRS A DECISION WAS MADE TO COMBINE THE TWO HOUSEHOLDS TO CUT EXPENSES AND MOVE. MY MOTHER, ALICE, RITA, MY SISTER JOANNE, WHO WAS STILL LIVING AT HOME AND MY UNCLE BILL WHO ‘S MARRIAGE BROKE UP, PURCHASED A BIG 5 ROOM HOME IN BURLINGTON MA. NOTHING REALLY HAD NOT CHANGED, THEY WERE ALL TOGETHER, OUT FROM THE CITY, MORE ROOM AND OF COURSE MORE GATHERINGS, COOKOUTS AND PARTIES. THE DOOR WAS ALWAYS OPEN, FROM TIME TO TIME WHEN A RELATIVE WOULD HIT A ROUGH PATCH IN LIFE, THEY WOULD STAY WITH ALICE,RITA,MARY AND BILLY, I HAD THE HONOR OF LIVING WITH THEM FOR A SHORT TIME. ANOTHER STORY, WHILE LIVING IN BURLINGTON , I’M SURE THAT MOST OF YOU HERE ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE GAME OF YATZEE, WILL ALICE AND MY MOTHER, AFTER DINNER, ALMOST EVERY NIGHT THEY WOULD PLAY YATZEE ON THE KITCHEN TABLE, I CAN STILL HEAR THOSE DICE BOUNCING ON THE KITCHEN, AS MY UNCLE WOULD SAY THEY ARE RATTLING THE BONES. I WAS INVITED TO PLAY A GAME OR TWO A FEW TIMES HOWEVER THAT WAS SHORT LIVED BECAUSE I COULDN’T KEEP UP WITH THEM ON THE COUNTING! WE STILL HAD OUR SUNDAY DINNERS AND ONE PARTICULAR SUNDAY, ALICE AND MARY PREPARED THE FOOD AND ASKED ME IF I WOULD CALL BILLY FOR DINNER, NOW I HAD TO GO FROM THE KITCHEN DOWN ONE LEVEL TO SEE INTO THE PLAYROOM WHERE MY UNCLE WAS IN HIS CHAIR WATCHING TV. I CALLED HIM, LIKE THIS, CAME BACK UP TO HAVE DINNER AT THE DINNER TABLE, FOOD WAS THERE, READY. ALICE SAID TO ME DID I CALL BILL FOR DINNER, I SAID YES. NOT SEENING BILL AT THE TABLE, WENT OVER TO THE LANDING AREA AND LOUDLY YELLED FOR BILL TO COME TO DINNER. MY UNCLE WAS A LITTLE UPSET BECAUSE ALICE HAD YELLED AT HIM. THIS HAD HAPPENED A COUPLE OF TIMES HOWEVER I FINALLY GOT CAUGHT. FOR US DESOUZA’S PAUL, ROSEMARY, JOANNE AND MYSELF, WE WERE BLESSED, WE HAD 2 MOTHERS, MY MOTHER MARY AND ALICE. FOR ALICE---YOUR SISTER FRANY, THE DESOUZA’S PAUL,ROSEMARY,JOANNE ,MYSELF, ALL YOUR RELATIVES AND FRIENDS, WE LOVE YOU AND YOU WILL BE GREATLY MISSED.