Rose Corea

April 13, 1942 – May 25, 2022

Surrounded by her family in love and prayer, Rose peacefully entered God's presence on Wednesday, May 25, 2022 at Royal Inland Hospital, Kamloops, British Columbia.

Rose will be lovingly remembered by her younger sister Cathy, brother-in-law Franco Annicchiarico, nephews and nieces John, Lisa, Dino, and Alida Annicchiarico and grandniece Olivia Rose; nephew Karl (Darla) Messner, grandnephews Nofa and Sean, and nephew Keith Messner. Also mourning her passing are uncle Ettore Pagnotta and cousins Rosemarie (Bill) Cooper, Silvana Pagnotta, Maria (Bruce) Townend, Angela (Brandon) and Michael; cousins Nick (Angela) Rizzo and Nathan, and Cathy Rizzo (Ben Taddei) and Giorgia; cousins Andrea, Debra, Brian, and Terry Dowhaniuk, Ross (Linda) Marchio, and Lena (Ed) Whitmore; as well as numerous relatives in Kamloops, Merritt, Calgary, Maine, USA and Italy. Rose shared her journey of faith with many friends, especially at Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish, who also grieve her loss. Left with beautiful memories of Rose are her many godchildren whom she sponsored in baptism and confirmation in the Catholic faith along with several brides for whom she served as a bridesmaid or maid of honour. Rose was predeceased by her younger sister Gilda on March 9th of this year; her father Giuseppe and mother Annunziata; aunts Rosina Pagnotta, Rosa Rizzo, and Gilda Rizzo; uncles Carmine Rizzo and Antonio Rizzo; in addition to many other aunts, uncles, and cousins in Kamloops and Italy and many dear friends and colleagues of the Legion of Mary and the CWL.

Rose was born in Albi, Catanzaro, Italy. With her mother and two sisters, she travelled across the Atlantic on the Vulcania arriving in Halifax on December 29, 1952. They then crossed Canada by train, stopping in Winnipeg to be reunited with their dad, and finally arrived in Kamloops on January 2, 1953, a date that the family celebrates every year. Rose graduated from the St. Ann’s Academy Commercial Class in 1961, then worked for the RF Welch Company, a subcontractor of CN Rail. Her brother-in-law, Franco, recruited Rose to be his administrative assistant at Torino Motors from 1974 to 1988, then at Franco's Auto Service from 1993 to 2003. Rose was professional, organized, and diligent in all she did. After hours, Rose was devoted to family. Affectionately known simply as “Zia” (Auntie), Rose cared for her nieces, nephews, and cousins as if they were her own children and graced everyone with her sweetness, gentleness, and unconditional love, including family pets, Brel and Dolce. Rose was an exceptional chef and often partnered with her sister, Cathy, in preparing family dinners for all occasions. She was the keeper of our traditional family recipes and couldn’t wait to surprise us with new ones.

Rose often spent her holiday time visiting her sister, Gilda, and family in Gibsons with a stop in Vancouver to spend time with the Rizzos and the many paesani there. She made several trips back to her hometown of Albi and, on these occasions, would travel throughout Italy to visit different cities and important holy sites in Assisi, Vatican City, and San Giovanni Rotondo for Padre Pio. Her travels also included a variety of destinations in Canada and abroad over the years.

A devout Catholic, Rose served the Lord through apostolic work as a member of the Catholic Women’s League of Canada and a member then president of the Legion of Mary. She would visit shut-ins and new parishioners and distribute rosaries to the children who made their First Communion. Rose organized the annual Legion of Mary retreats at the Benedictine Abbey in Mission and at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Shrine in Cache Creek. These were special moments for Rose to deepen her spiritual relationship with Jesus and Our Blessed Mother. It was part of Rose’s routine to attend daily early morning Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral before work, often leading the congregation in the rosary. From a very young age, Rose was greatly devoted to Our Lady nurturing her faith on pilgrimages to the blessed Marian Shrines of Lourdes, Fatima, and Medjugorje.

The family would like to thank Fr Derrick Cameron, Fr Dale Normandeau, and Fr Udoka Nwosu for their pastoral care; the Franciscan Sisters Tarcie, Maria, Louisa, Ernilyn, and Analisa for their kindness and compassion while in Kamloops; and the Catholic Women's League for their fellowship. The family is especially appreciative of the members of the Legion of Mary who worked alongside Rose in that ministry for many years. The family extends its gratitude to the medical professionals who helped Rose in so many ways: Dr Jeevyn Chahal, Dr Kathryn Scobie, and Dr Smita Varma as well as the doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, physical therapists, and all staff in the emergency department, ICU, PAR, and 7 North of Royal Inland Hospital. A special thank you goes to pharmacists David Corea and Surinder Gill for their genuine assistance to Rose. The family is extremely grateful for the expert medical care Rose always received even in the midst of these challenging times.

Prayers for the repose of the soul of Rose will be held at Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish on Friday, June 3, 2022, at 7:30 pm. Mass of the Christian Burial will be celebrated at Sacred Heart on Saturday, June 4, 2022, at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Rose can be made to the Royal Inland Hospital Foundation or to the pastoral works of Sacred Heart Cathedral.

Rose, you are the epitome of a kind soul. We entrust you now to the loving arms of Jesus and Mary. You may be gone from our sight, but never from our hearts. Just like Mary in Luke 2:19, we will forever treasure all these things and ponder them in our hearts. Until we meet again.