Rose Kevorkian

MERIDEN - Rose Kevorkian, 63, of Meriden, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, May 24, 2017, at the Masonic Home in Wallingford.

Rose was born on Feb. 21, 1954, in Rocchetta e Croce, Italy. She was born Rosina Laurenza, and was one of four children, and daughter to the late Giovanna (Bertoldo) and Giovanni Laurenza. She was the loving wife of Mark Kevorkian, and devoted mother to Matthew and Jacqueline Kevorkian.

Along with her immediate family, Rose is survived by her brother, Tony Laurenza and his wife, Siri; her sister, Stephanie Laurenza and their families. She is also survived by her step-son, Kyle Kevorkian, and his daughter, Gia; brother and sister-in-law, Art and Holly Kevorkian; many aunts, uncles; cousins; nieces, nephews; and an immeasurable number of friends. Rose moved to Meriden with her family at the age of five, and has been a lifelong resident ever since. Her childhood was filled with much love amongst her extended family and of course her siblings Tony and Stephanie. She was predeceased by her brother, Luigi. Rose always loved to share stories of her family gatherings that involved cooking and group sauce making. She was grateful for her brother, Tony and his wife, Siri, and her sister, Stephanie, and their families. Their holiday gatherings were something she always treasured. Rose attended Mount Carmel Church and School. She graduated from Platt High School and attended Teikyo Post University where she met the love of her life and husband Mark. Mark became her partner in all things; they cared for each other through many wonderful life experiences and always with love and devotion. Rose was employed by the City of Meriden for the past 15 years. She became an expert in all things relating to human resources and city pensions. Many knew her as "help me Rose" as she was always willing to help any employee and did so with grace and compassion. She worked tirelessly to assist everyone and always put her fellow co-workers needs ahead of her own. There was nothing more important to Rose than to be an excellent mother to Jackie and Matt. Rose had one simple goal in life and that was to raise her children into kind, caring, educated adults, and she succeeded in this by far. She would burst with pride whenever mentioning her children's many accomplishments. Rose was very well known in the world of the Meriden Arts through her children and her own involvement with the Meriden Youth Theater and the Maloney Music Department. She spent countless hours volunteering including holding the office of president of the Maloney Choral Boosters, but she was most famous as the "Cake Pop Queen" for her perfected recipe and execution of thousands of cake pops donated to many great causes through the years. Rose never missed one of her children's plays, concerts, shows and "Not Mikes" performances. This is when her heart was happiest; as she and Mark shared their pride watching their children perform. Much of her time in the past two years included trips to UConn to support Jackie's music education and performances. On Friday afternoons, her radio was tuned to WFCS as she listened in on Matt's radio show. When not a part of an audience, Rose was most likely found in her kitchen, preparing a gourmet meal or baking cookies, while watching the Food Network, or her "best friend" Oprah. We will be toasting to Rose with saddened hearts, but happy memories as we sip on a "nice Chardonnay".

Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian burial on Saturday, May 27, at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, 109 Goodwill Ave., Meriden. Everyone is asked to meet directly at the church. Burial will be in Fairview Cemetery, 120 Smalley St., New Britain. Relatives and friends may call at the John J. Ferry & Sons Funeral Home, 88 E. Main St., Meriden on Friday, May 26, from 4 to 7 p.m.

The family would like to express heartfelt gratitude and thanks to the nurses and staff at Midstate Medical Center and Masonicare for the exceptional care given to Rose.

Donations can be made for the benefit of the Jacqueline and Matthew Kevorkian college fund: c/o Liberty Bank, 852 E. Main St., Meriden, CT 06450.

www.jferryfh.com.