Mary Rose Vieira, 95, of New Bedford passed away on Wednesday, January 16, 2019 at home. She was the widow of Americo “Mac” Vieira, deceased since 1990. A lifelong resident of New Bedford, Mary grew up in the south end and attended New Bedford public schools.
To help support her family during the Great Depression, Mary began working at age 14, and as a single young working woman, held a number of jobs in manufacturing and retail, capping off that phase of her work life at the Charles of the Ritz counter at Cherry and Webb downtown. Marriage and motherhood came in quick succession, at which time she chose to stay home to raise her two daughters and her son. Once her children were grown and her husband was retired, she decided to return to work as a “lunch lady” at New Bedford High School, where she was beloved of students and coworkers alike. She retired from the school department at age 85, but continued as a Ward 5 poll worker until just a few years ago. Mary Rose was a devoted daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and aunt, a meticulous homemaker, talented cook, and lively conversationalist. As her 90’s approached, she embraced the smart phone (especially emojis) and enjoyed checking in on family and friends via Facebook and Instagram.
She is survived by her three children, Anne Curry of New Bedford, Rose M. Miller and her husband Rick of Rochester, and Anthony “Tony” Vieira of New Bedford; five grandchildren, Meredith (Curry) DiSilva, Molly Curry, Peter Curry, Frederick Miller III, and Thomas Miller; and her nieces Elizabeth Connelly Sylvia, Christina Connelly, and Kathryn Politano.
She was the daughter of the late Bernardino Rosa and Maria Barbosa (Silveira) Rosa, and the stepdaughter of Emilia (Rodrigues) Rosa and sister of Laura Rosa, Ana Rosa, Ernest Rodrigues, Alfred Rosa, Bernardino C. Rosa, Jr., and Anna Connelly, all deceased. Her Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday January 21 at 10:30am at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church. Visiting hours will be on Sunday from 1-5 PM at the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Our Sisters’ School, 145 Brownell Ave., New Bedford, MA 02740 or Shriners Hospitals for Children-Boston, 51 Blossom St., Boston, MA 02114. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.