Rita A. (Gallese) Roast – 95 – of 35 Old Pine Lane, Rochester, formerly of Hornell, died Wednesday morning (June 19, 2013) at Rochester General Hospital, following a brief illness.
Born in Hornell on February 27, 1918, she was the daughter of Carmine & Nicoletta (DeSanto) Gallese.
Rita grew up in Hornell and was a graduate of St. Ann’s School. She later graduated from Hornell High School (class of 1936). Following high school, Rita earned her registered nurses’ license from St. James School of Nursing in Hornell.
She was employed for a time as a registered nurse at Rockefeller Research Hospital in New York City. She resided in Buffalo, NY for several years and later lived in Seaford, Del for over 40 years, where she was a long-time active volunteer and officer of the Auxiliary of Stockley Center. She has resided in Rochester for the past seven years.
While in Hornell, Rita was a member of Our Lady of the Valley Parish and a communicant of St. Ann’s Church.
She was married in 1948 to John R. Roast who died in 1975. She was also preceded in death by 5 brothers, Angelo “Harp” Gallese, Dominick “Bill” Gallese, Charles Gallese, Donald Gallese and Francis “Frank” Gallese; 5 sisters, Rose Marino, Jovenia “Dena” Libordi, Josephine Gallese, Josephine Gallese and Mary Felli; her nephews, Tony Marino, Charles Marino, Michael Gallese and Dominick Gallese JR
Surviving are her daughter, Rosemary (Richard Derwitsch) Roast of Winsted, CT; 1 sister, Lucy Wiley of Hornell; her cousin & dear friend, Grace Moretti Eagan of Hornell; many nieces & nephews.
At Rita’s request there will be no prior calling hours. A Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Saturday (July 6, 2013) at 11:00 AM at St. Ann’s Church. Final interment will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery.
Funeral arrangements are in care of the Dagon Funeral Home, 38 Church St., Hornell, NY.
Rita’s family request that memorial contributions in her name be made to Franciscan Mission Associates, 274-280 West Lincoln Ave., PO Box 598, Mount Vernon, NY 10551.
I will miss you, Little Rita, all the while knowing that you are always with me.
RIP Beautiful Aunt Rita. You left me beautiful memories that have stayed with me and will be with me forever
Rita was a study in contrasts. She was fierce and proud but could still be modest and almost shy. She was thrifty and giving; tenacious yet indecisive. While sometimes skeptical of conventional wisdom, she herself was proper and formal. For Rita, there was a certain way of doing things, and that was the way they should be done. She was warm and mostly honest in a way that endeared her to people and made her many unlikely friends, from the household help of her neighbors in Delaware to the developmentally disabled who she worked with at Stokely Center to VP Joseph Biden, who, as governor of Delaware, once presented Rita with a fund-raising award. Rita’s dichotomy could drive you to the edge at one time but, at another time, you could not help but step back and admire her.
Rita wanted to share in your worst times and also in your best times. She could be almost as happy about your achievements as you were, and she was just as equally concerned if you had a health scare, a loss or another type of problem to overcome. Until she physically could no longer do it, she attended nearly every family event. Every night, Rita prayed for those she loved. In the last year or so, it was hard to get her to go out of the house, but she lit her battery-powered vigil lights for all events and pointed statues of saints out the windows (I’m still not sure what that means).
Rita once told me she could get things done. And she was right. When Rosemari visited, Rita kept her busy with her taxes, mail and financial matters as well as getting her household in order. For the rest of the time, Rita enlisted an army of Rochester relatives (and even those who did not live in Rochester) to do her tasks. Nicki McDonald took her blood pressure and brought her sweet treats. Frank Gallese did repairs around her house. Cheryl brought her gourmet meals and took her “very important” letters to the post office often helping her write some of those letters. Marylynn brought her things she felt she needed; sometimes specialty food and sometimes a shirt or a pair of shoes. I took her to most of her doctor appointments, took turns with Cheryl in bringing her the Sunday newspaper, and ran many errands. She often asked me to pick up gifts for different great nieces and great nephews. A vice president at Chase went to her house to cash Rita’s checks or pick up a deposit. Many of us shopped for Rita’s groceries, always on the list–no matter how many times that week–were two bars of dark Swiss chocolate. Rita even called the fire department once to change the batteries in her fire alarm.
Rita was on this earth for 95 years and while many would brag about that, I remember the weekend before she died she hushed one of her therapists in the hallway at St. Ann’s Rehab for saying her age loud enough for others to hear. A few days before that, she was upset when another rehab patient suggested that Rita was older than her. She didn’t think her age was anyone’s business.
In the end, Rita was incredibly brave. Fully conscious. Fully aware that something she did not recognize was occurring in her body. Lucid. She told Cheryl who was at her side that something was happening. And then, she started praying and her faith took her the rest of the way Home. We love you Rita and wish you peace. Love, Niki
What can I say about Aunt Rita, we sure had many conversations, the night before she passed, I was visiting her at St. Ann’s and we talked about death and what it meant, where we go and who we see, she asked what I thought and I told her that no one has come back to tell us, she laughed and said that her mother said the same thing to her many years ago. I was at the hospital with her and she was happy to see me when I walked into the emergency room. She was alert and introducing me to everyone. She had in her hand a Value of the Holy Mass card, A Eucharistic Adoration pray card sent to her from her sister Lucy, she asked me to hold on to them for her. She was praying silently just before she passed. I beleive she is at peace and I will miss her.
Love you Rita…… Cheryl
Dear Aunt Rita, how you will be missed. Volumes can be written about you and the impact you had on your world and those that were part of it. I will miss our Sunday conversations. You never neglected to ask me about Rocke, Zac and Emily and their families. You loved to reminisce on the past and how things were and often times how things should have been. I will remember how you enjoyed being with family whether it be at family reunions or just a dinner together. That twinkle in your eye and giggle (like your sister Mary’s!) was priceless. Now you are reunited with dear Uncle Johnny. Say hi to him and all those that you have joined. Give them our love and tell them how like you, they enriched our lives. (Give a special hug to Mary and AJ.) And by the way, thank you for the Byer Christmas collection you started me on many years ago. It will be especially meaningful this year. Ninety five years is certainly a long life, Rita, and you lived it well. You will be greatly missed. Love, Diane