Mary (Dalton) Rossi, 91, of Farnum Pike, died Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at her home. She was the wife of the late Rudolph John Rossi who died July 17, 2007.
Born in Cumberland to Irish immigrants John Joseph and Alice (O’Keefe) Dalton, she lived in Smithfield most her life.
Mrs. Rossi worked in the personnel office at the former Walsh Kaiser Shipyard in Providence during World War II and after the shipyard closed, she worked as a billing clerk at Hindley Mfg. Co. and New England Paper Tube.
She also served as Vice President of Old County School Parents Teachers Association and was active in the Parent Teacher Organizations at both the Old County Road School and the Irving S. Cook School.
She was a member of the East-Smithfield Homemakers for 25 years and was involved with the URI Extension for many years. She volunteered making bandages for cancer patient residents at area nursing homes for many years and also volunteered at the Smithfield Audubon Society where she mailed out the monthly newsletters. She was an expert seamstress, sewing extensively for all of her eight children when they were young. Mrs. Rossi was a parishioner of St. Michael’s Church.
She leaves a son Robert J. Rossi of Smithfield, six daughters, Nancy Phenix of Richland, MO; Janice Borodezt of Brooklyn, CT, Helen Arruda of Barrington, Rosalind Newton of North Kingstown, Sandra Boyes of Bedford, VA and Jean Salley of Smithfield, 18 grandchildren and 25 great grandchildren. She was the mother of the late William Patrick Rossi and the sister of the late Alice Nouvier, John, Thomas and Edward Dalton, SSgt. William Patrick Dalton who was killed during the final days of World War II.
A Mass of Christian Burial to which relatives and friends are invited will be held Friday at 9am in St. Michael’s Church, 80 Farnum Pike, Georgiaville. Burial private. Visitation Thursday 5-7pm in the ANDERSON-WINFIELD Funeral Home, Route 44 at Greenville Common, Greenville. In lieu of flowers donations in her memory may be made to the Audobon Society of RI, 12 Sanderson Road, Smithfield, RI 02917.