Mary Rosa

Mary Louise Rosa, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother passed away peacefully on March 29, 2012 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She was born in Cargalla, Tuscany, Italy on March 19, 1915 to the late Giacamo Moscatelli and Fortunata Pedretti.

She was the youngest of five siblings. Her father died when she was two and her mother when she was fifteen. Her oldest sister, Aida, was brought to America by her uncle shortly after her father passed away. After their mother passed away she was cared for by their Grandmother. Things were difficult in Italy during those times and Mary worked as a maid to help the family. In 1937 her sister, Aida, managed after several tries to petition the Italian government to let Mary immigrate to America through Ellis Island. Her other three siblings remained in Italy. She met her husband, Mario, in New York, himself an immigrant from a nearby town in Tuscany. They were wed in 1940 and had two sons, Albert born in 1942 and Frank born in 1946. Frank died in 1972.

The consummate Italian mother, her family always came first. She worked much of her life as a seamstress, first in a sweatshop in the New York garment district sewing undergarments eventually moving up to sewing one-of-a-kind outfits for TV celebrities in New York City. Widowed in 1968 she and her sister, Aida, also widowed, lived together until they retired in 1982. They moved to Colorado Springs that year to a home her son, Albert, designed and oversaw its construction. They loved their home, maintained a large garden, and cooked – and cooked – and cooked fantastic Tuscan meals for friends and family. At 67 she learned to drive for the first time – a task she undertook simultaneously with her granddaughter, Deborah, but at much greater stress.

She leaves behind a son, Albert, his wife, Kathleen, her granddaughters, Deborah Eafanti and Kim Rosa, and four great-grandchildren Joshua, Marisa, Sam, and Maddie; as well as, her best friend and first cousin, Mary Martinelli, three other first cousins, Elda Anelli, Rina Pedretti, and Elsie Bergamini, a sister-in-law Mary Boatti, and countless friends and relatives.

Visitation will take place Sunday, April 1, 2012 from 3:00 to 6:00 pm, at Swan-Law Funeral Directors, 501 North Cascade Avenue, Colorado Springs. A funeral mass is scheduled for 10:00 am Monday, April 2, 2012 at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 2650 Parish View, Colorado Springs, CO 80919. There will be a viewing from 6:00 to 9:00 pm on Tuesday, April 3, 2012 at Morisco Funeral Home at 35-20 Broadway, Astoria, NY. Interment will be in Calvary Cemetery, Woodside, New York, on Wednesday, April 4, 2012 at 9:30 am.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the National Hospice Foundation, 1731 King Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314, or any charity of your choice.