Julia R. Devlin

She was the beloved mother of Colleen M. Ricci and her husband Ronald, and Kelly A. Devlin and her husband Robert T. Rossborough; cherished grandmother of Andrea Canario and Gianna Ricci. She was the sister of the late Frances Sousa.

Julia was a native of the Federal Hill Neighborhood in Providence, living on the Carpenter Street side in her early years. Later, she attended Hope High School before going on to work as a waitress at the East Side Diner.

Julia married at the tender age of twenty and later gave birth to her first daughter, Colleen. Four years later, she brought her Kelly into this world. Julia's most important and beloved title had become Mother.

But as a young single mother with two girls, Julia decided she should learn a new skill which she could then use to provide for herself and her daughters. It was then that she attended secretarial school and sought work in her new field of expertise.

Julia was quickly hired to be a stenographer at the State Department of Health and began her career as a medical secretary. “Her patients,” as she lovingly referred to them, were children who needed treatment for cardiac, orthopedic, or lead poisoning conditions. She coordinated the clinics where they got treatment, watching them overcome what often appeared to be insurmountable obstacles, enjoying being a part of that healing process.

Julia still did waitress work part-time, mostly to be able to send her girls to Catholic school and ensure they had all that they needed. Eventually, Julia was promoted to Senior Clerk Stenographer at the Health Department. She chose to retire from state service after 26 years.

For several of her retirement years, Julia worked part-time at Bradford Variety, a tiny neighborhood convenience store. Interested in local politics, she also became a grass roots campaign volunteer. And as a voting precinct location supervisor, Julia took her responsibilities quite seriously, making sure that all who were properly registered could cast their ballot.

Julia didn’t have many hobbies, but enjoyed playing and calling bingo on occasion or betting on her favorite number in the state lottery. She mostly liked chatting with her friends and being a mom to her girls, and later on, a grandmother to Andrea and Gianna.

Yet, the love didn’t end there. Her niece, Tammie, and nephew, Anthony, the children of her beloved sister, Frances, held special places in her heart. And of course, there were her sons-in-law, Ronald, Robert and Anthony. She always wanted a son and finally got three.

Julia loved “The Hill” with its rich Italian heritage and close-knit neighbors so she lived there for many years even after she had retired. In 2008, she relocated to Cedar Springs Terrace in Johnston. There, many of her new neighbors became dear friends, and many of those new friends showed her great kindness.

Julia never got rich from either working or playing the lottery. But she was richly blessed because she was deeply loved by family and friends whom she treasured.

Visitation will be held Sunday 3-6 p.m. with her funeral on Monday at 8:45 a.m. from the PONTARELLI-MARINO Home, 971 Branch Avenue, Providence. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. in St. Robert Bellarmine Church, 1804 Atwood Avenue, Johnston. Burial will follow in St. Ann Cemetery, Cranston. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, www.stjude.org/donate