Mary A. Rose of Wellfleet died on Feb. 15, 2021 at Cape Cod Hospital, 12 hours after her 95th birthday, with the grace and dignity with which she lived her life.
Mary was born on Valentine’s Day 1926 in County Tipperary, Ireland, to the late Thomas Grealish and Winifred (O’Donohue) Grealish. She was the oldest of five children.
She was working in London at an international hotel when she met her future husband, Ernest H. Rose of Wellfleet, who was serving in the U.S. Air Force. She raised three sons and was a devoted military wife as well as a devout Catholic and a loving friend. Mary’s kindness and deep faith in God defined her life.
Arriving in America on the RMS Queen Elizabeth, Mary was 66 days older than the queen of England and was a lifelong fan. She became her family’s Queen Mary, never losing her Irish accent. Later in her life, Mary had a great and loving friendship with the late Tony Castelo of the Wellfleet Oyster House.
She is missed by all those lucky enough to have known her.
Mary is survived by her sons, Mark, Keith, and Shawn; her grandchildren, Nathan, Olivia, Vanessa, and Gabriel; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her Uncle Dave, her brothers John and Patrick, her sisters Kathleen and Violet, and her niece Ashley.
The family thanks Aunt Dorothy, Uncle Jim, Uncle Ray, and everyone else for the decades of love they showed Mary.
A memorial Mass for Mary will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 6 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Wellfleet.
For online condolences, visit nickersonfunerals.com.