Obituary for Rosemary "Rosie" Doucette
Rosemary (Rosie) Irene Doucette died on Sunday, February 27, 2022 in Dalton, MA, at the age of 86 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She was born on March 12, 1935, the daughter of the late Matteo and Maria Principe. She was married to the late Lionel J. Doucette.
Rosie leaves behind three sons, Michael J. Doucette, and his wife, Karen, of Asheville, N.C., Edward M. Doucette and his wife, Betty K., of Hudson, Mass., and Joseph L. Doucette and his wife, Crystal King of Boston, Mass., and four grandchildren, Clem Doucette, Caitlin Doucette, Lorna Doucette, and Michael Doucette, Jr.. Rosie is also survived by her brother Gennaro (Jinx) Principe, and sister, Libera Duryea.
Rosie was a 1952 graduate of Pittsfield High School, and worked for the telephone company as a switchboard operator before she became a devoted full-time mother.
Rosie was a rare individual who radiated joy and happiness in everything she did. Her best skill lay in how she made people smile, laugh, and want to be around her. She was well known throughout Pittsfield (and at the end of her life in Dalton at Sugar Hill Senior Community Center) for her delightful caricatures of little mice holding flowers.
Rosie was also lucky, in every sense of the word. She could find a four-leaf clover just by looking at the ground and it was common to be presented with a little bouquet of four-leaf clovers when the kids came for an overnight visit. When Rosie and Lionel went to the horse races in Saratoga, she would win on every horse she bet on (never more than $2...it was never about the money). And she was lucky because she somehow managed to find happiness in all the cracks she found and she gave that same happiness away freely.
Rosie loved funny puns, and regaled us all with absurd songs in Italian-the Pugliese dialect of her parents. She was an avid gardener at Canoe Meadows. She loved books, puzzles, poetry, bird watching, playing Scrabble, and taking her bicycle for a ride down Elm Street. She also loved to paint and draw, and in these pursuits she exhibited extraordinary talent.
The memories she leaves behind are a mountain for all who knew her. She and Lionel were active members of the Italian American Club bocce team and bowled in a local league for years. They ushered at Sacred Heart Church every Sunday.They held big gatherings every Christmas Eve and Rosie always made calamari as part of the tradition. Rosie also volunteered for many years at the Berkshire Museum, and at the Berkshire Athenaeum maintaining the flower boxes.
Rosie made friends wherever she went because her laughter, her smile, and her infectious spirit made you want to be near her. She brought lightness into every room she walked into. Rosie was so loved because she WAS love. She gave it to everyone, freely. And everyone gave it back. She made us smile, she made us laugh, she made us feel alive.
FUNERAL NOTICE: Funeral services for Rosemary Doucette will be held Friday, Mar.4, with a Liturgy of Christian Burial at 12:30 p.m. at Sacred Heart Church, celebrated by the Rev. Steven Montesanti, pastor. Burial will follow in St. Joseph's Cemetery. The family will hold a Celebration of Life Memorial on Saturday June 11 at a location TBD. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Sugar Hill Activity Fund for Employee Appreciation, Alzheimer’s Association, or the Audubon Society, in care of DERY FUNERAL HOME, 54 Bradford Street, Pittsfield.
Rosie leaves behind three sons, Michael J. Doucette, and his wife, Karen, of Asheville, N.C., Edward M. Doucette and his wife, Betty K., of Hudson, Mass., and Joseph L. Doucette and his wife, Crystal King of Boston, Mass., and four grandchildren, Clem Doucette, Caitlin Doucette, Lorna Doucette, and Michael Doucette, Jr.. Rosie is also survived by her brother Gennaro (Jinx) Principe, and sister, Libera Duryea.
Rosie was a 1952 graduate of Pittsfield High School, and worked for the telephone company as a switchboard operator before she became a devoted full-time mother.
Rosie was a rare individual who radiated joy and happiness in everything she did. Her best skill lay in how she made people smile, laugh, and want to be around her. She was well known throughout Pittsfield (and at the end of her life in Dalton at Sugar Hill Senior Community Center) for her delightful caricatures of little mice holding flowers.
Rosie was also lucky, in every sense of the word. She could find a four-leaf clover just by looking at the ground and it was common to be presented with a little bouquet of four-leaf clovers when the kids came for an overnight visit. When Rosie and Lionel went to the horse races in Saratoga, she would win on every horse she bet on (never more than $2...it was never about the money). And she was lucky because she somehow managed to find happiness in all the cracks she found and she gave that same happiness away freely.
Rosie loved funny puns, and regaled us all with absurd songs in Italian-the Pugliese dialect of her parents. She was an avid gardener at Canoe Meadows. She loved books, puzzles, poetry, bird watching, playing Scrabble, and taking her bicycle for a ride down Elm Street. She also loved to paint and draw, and in these pursuits she exhibited extraordinary talent.
The memories she leaves behind are a mountain for all who knew her. She and Lionel were active members of the Italian American Club bocce team and bowled in a local league for years. They ushered at Sacred Heart Church every Sunday.They held big gatherings every Christmas Eve and Rosie always made calamari as part of the tradition. Rosie also volunteered for many years at the Berkshire Museum, and at the Berkshire Athenaeum maintaining the flower boxes.
Rosie made friends wherever she went because her laughter, her smile, and her infectious spirit made you want to be near her. She brought lightness into every room she walked into. Rosie was so loved because she WAS love. She gave it to everyone, freely. And everyone gave it back. She made us smile, she made us laugh, she made us feel alive.
FUNERAL NOTICE: Funeral services for Rosemary Doucette will be held Friday, Mar.4, with a Liturgy of Christian Burial at 12:30 p.m. at Sacred Heart Church, celebrated by the Rev. Steven Montesanti, pastor. Burial will follow in St. Joseph's Cemetery. The family will hold a Celebration of Life Memorial on Saturday June 11 at a location TBD. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Sugar Hill Activity Fund for Employee Appreciation, Alzheimer’s Association, or the Audubon Society, in care of DERY FUNERAL HOME, 54 Bradford Street, Pittsfield.