Rosalie Grasso

Dear Friends and Family,

The Grasso Family appreciates your condolences and concerns at this difficult time. We are also cognizant of the unprecedented Public Health Emergency. Therefore, should any of you be more comfortable expressing your wishes and condolences to us in a manner  that does not require your attendance at our scheduled viewing we fully understand and respect your decision. If you chose not to attend please feel free to share a memory/message on the Tribute Wall Tab.

Rosalie Grasso was an amazing woman.
Her love for her husband, George, her four children, George, Vincent, John and Lisa and her nine grandchildren, George, Joseph, Michael, Thomas, Christopher, Emily, Renee, Gillian and Sean had no bounds. She was a wonderful, kind and loving Mother-in-Law to Regina, Elizabeth, Sheila and Brendan.
She was the heart of the Grasso family.
Rosalie was born on November 1st, 1932 in Montreal, Canada.
Her mother was Kathleen Elliott and she never knew her birth father.
When Rosalie was an infant, Kathleen (who was working as a nurse), retained the LeBlanc family to take Rosalie into their home and care for her. The LeBlanc's were a large and loving Canadian family. The patriarch of the LeBlanc's, Mr. Edmund LeBlanc loved Rosalie and was a true father to her. Rosalie always considered herself a member of the LeBlanc family and was fully accepted by the entire family as one of them.
Rosalie was educated at a Catholic Boarding School located in St. Jean's Quebec.
The school was run by nuns who were compassionate and kind to her. Rosalie maintained lifelong friendships with some of them. For many years, she dreamed of becoming a nun and maintained a strong, deep and vibrant faith throughout her life. Her patron Saint was Saint Anne and she prayed to Saint Anne until her last days on Earth.
However, in July of 1956 she met the love of her life while on a weekend holiday at St. Adele's Lodge in the Laurentian Mountains, located about 2 hours from Montreal. George F. Grasso was a handsome 27 year old, born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, who had traveled to Canada with friends from "the neighborhood" hoping to enjoy the mountain air and just maybe, meet a nice, Canadian girl. As fate would have it, George's arrival was delayed by couple hours due to a "fender bender" involving his 1955 Chevy Bel Air and he did not get to the resort until dinner time. Turned out, it was just in time to be introduced to and seated with a beautiful brunette named, Rosalie. The hot song of the summer of '56 was Canadian Sunset and love was in the air at St. Adele's. They met on a Friday evening and on Sunday, George asked Rosalie, if she "would be the mother of his children."She immediately said "yes" and they were married at George's father Angelo's house in Hollis, Queens on October 27th, 1956. Their first son, George A. Grasso was born on August 15th, 1957.
Rosalie embraced her role as a wife and a mother with an open heart full of love and enthusiasm.
She literally lived for her family. Her husband was the center of her universe and her children were the source of her pride. Her home was spotless and each child was given love, care and attention.
She was selfless in her concerns and care for those who she loved. When inevitable problems came along, Rosalie redoubled her commitment to her husband and her family. When her grandchildren arrived she treated each of them as if they were the most important person on earth and each of them had the privilege of basking in her boundless love for them.
When the end of the road in this life came on March 11th, 2020, she was lying  on her bed next to her husband, George and her daughter, Lisa listening to Andy Williams sing Canadian Sunset as she breathed her last breath and slipped into St. Anne's eternal embrace.