Rose Desrosiers Obituary

Rose Desrosiers, 87, passed away peacefully at her home in Chapin, SC on Tuesday, June 3, 2025 with family at her side. She courageously battled colon cancer while being faithfully supported and cared for by her eldest son and daughter-in-law, Mark and Virginia Desrosiers, who live down the road with her grand dog, Teddy, who brought her great joy. Rose is also survived by her sons Dr. Stephen Desrosiers (Sandi) of Sidney, ME and Jeffrey Desrosiers (Paula) of Winslow, ME; grandchildren, Kimmie Desrosiers-Kern (Jake) of Seattle, WA, Rachael Bean (Caleb) of Winslow, ME, Sarah Desrosiers of Waterville, ME, and Bethany Desrosiers of Newburyport, MA; great-grandchildren, Genevieve and Cameron Bean of Winslow, ME; sister-in-law, Claire Gosselin and goddaughter Nancy Cassidy of Bradford, MA; cousin Connie Lanseigne-Case of Pelham, NH; lifetime friend, Yvonne Arlequeeuw of Lawrence, MA; as well as many relatives, good friends and neighbors. She was predeceased by her beloved husband of 66 years, Maurice "Moe" Desrosiers; and goddaughter Valerie Earnshaw. Rose was born on May 27, 1938. She was the only child of Maurice and Louise Lanseigne of Lowell, MA. Rose was top of her class receiving two double promotions and entering Rivier College in Nashua, NH at the very young age of 16, where she received an Associate's degree. She selflessly curtailed her very promising college education and related career pursuit to whole-heartedly devote herself to her life's passion of building a family home with her husband, Moe, and personally raising her three boys, Mark, Steve, and Jeff in Methuen, MA. As a young mom, she worked part time in the office at nearby King's Department Store in the early evening when Moe returned from work, so one of them would always be home with the boys. In 1969, she joined the Methuen, MA School Department as a Teacher Aide, so she would be at work when her boys were at school and be at home when they were home. Because of her hard work and considerable talent, she turned this opportunity into a part-time career advancing to Program Assistant in charge of running the morning program of the school's daycare center; where she warmly greeted the parents who were dropping off their children, while welcoming them into a loving home-away-from-home environment. Rose was a devout Catholic who recalled that one of her favorite memories was of her First Holy Communion and her beautiful dress made by her mother. She became a longtime member of St. Lucy's Catholic Church in Methuen, MA and taught CCD to the teen group in her house, so she could pass on the faith to the neighborhood children, and her own, while being with them in her family home. When her father passed, she regularly visited his siblings in the nursing home for years until they passed; and she took her mother into her family home and lovingly cared for her for the next 10 years until she passed. Rose was also a New England sports fan, especially of the Boston Red Sox, whose games she grew up listening to on the radio with her father. She was an even bigger fan of her boys' playing sports, when they grew up. She faithfully went to every game, sometimes multiple games a day, always giving them loving support, win or lose; while also bringing her infectious smile, warmth and loving nature to the other parents, her friends, in the stands. And, she was a good cook, preparing a wide-variety of delicious, nutritious, and well-balanced home cooked meals, keeping her growing boys well fed, even with their busy sports schedule. She was also an avid reader, and enjoyed playing board games and cards with family and friends, especially a good game of cribbage later in life. After retiring in 1997, she continued to enjoy traveling with her husband, Moe, along with camping, dancing, playing golf (she even got a hole-in-one!), and spending time with family, especially her beloved granddaughters. After raising 3 boys, having 4 granddaughters was an additional special blessing that she always cherished; she deeply loved and was very proud of each and every one of them. She had especially fond memories of the 2006 Disney World vacation that she and grandpa took the girls on. Rose and Moe also enjoyed spending 15 winters in Osprey, FL at their son's and daughter-in-law's, Mark's and Virginia's, condo, far away from the New England snow. Rose was a very special lady beloved by everyone who knew her and she was very easy to get to know. She was kind and giving, and deeply cared about all people, freely sharing her unconditional love. Rose was always genuinely interested in the lives of everyone she came into contact with. She was a good-natured fully-engaged empathetic listener and wonderful conversationalist that everyone easily opened up to, and as such, she instantly made friends. After meeting someone new, she would affectionately recall the names and highlights of their family and immediately become invested in their well-being. Over the years, Rose orchestrated and hosted many memorable gatherings of family and friends at her and Moe's Torino Street family home, which became a fond destination for many. And, even as many moved away, she always kept in touch by phone to preserve her special connection with them. Rose and Moe moved to Chapin, SC, in 2019 to get away from the snow once and for all and to be near Mark, Virginia, and Teddy for their twilight years. Upon moving, they joined the Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church family where they faithfully attended 8:00 Mass together every Sunday, participated in many church activities and ministries, and she made many dear friends throughout her community and neighborhood. Rose also joined Virginia as a member of the OLL Women's Club. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated by Rev. Dennis Willey on Wednesday, July 16th, at 10:00 AM at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Chapin, SC. It will also be livestreamed. A link for online viewing will be shared here. Inurnment in the Our Lady of the Lake cemetery columbarium and a repast in Saint Andrew Hall will immediately follow. The family is sincerely grateful for the tremendous outpouring of love and affection for Rose, as well as the expressions of support. She will be truly missed by many. Memorials may be made to Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.