Obituary of Helen Rossi

Helen Rossi (nee Fletcher) was born on June 3, 1923 in Embro, ON and passed away on Sunday, January 9, 2011 at K-W Health Centre of Grand River Hospital in Kitchener. She was predeceased by parents, John Fletcher and Elizabeth Lohnes (nee Engel), her stepfather, Gordon Lohnes, husband, John Rossi, stepbrothers, Wayne, Lloyd and Robert and stepsister, Shirley Rehkopf. She will be dearly missed by her special friend and advocate, Jacqui McFarlane, sisters-in-law, Olga (Chissey) Lohnes, June Lohnes and Catherine Rossi, nieces, nephews, her friends at Luther Village and the members of her church family at Messiah Lutheran. Helen married John (Johnny) Rossi in 1943. John and his two brothers, Reno and Tony, operated the cheese factory in New Hamburg. John and Helen decided to leave and move to Toronto. They bought a house and finally had their own place. She was very happy. At one point in her life, she worked for the YMCA. Johnny died unexpectedly on May 3, 1964. Helen never remarried. She was still deeply in love with Johnny up until the day she died. She stayed in the house in Toronto and worked for an insurance company for many years. In 1986, she moved to Waterloo to help an elderly aunt who lived in downtown Kitchener. She lived in her house on Twin Oaks Crescent in Waterloo until she moved to Luther Village on the Park. She was a faithful and active member of Messiah Lutheran Church. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the staff of St. Mary's Emergency Department and the staff on the 5th and 6th floors of Grand River Hospital for their kind and efficient care over the past weeks. Thanks also to Chloe Hamilton and the employees of Warm Embrace Elder Care for their assistance and caring companionship for Helen over the past couple of months. We also appreciate the support of her church family - particularly Bev Barr. On Friday, January 14, 2011 a visiting hour will be held at Messiah Lutheran Church, 700 Glen Forrest Blvd. Waterloo at 10:00 a.m. followed by a service of Christian burial at 11:00 a.m. with Rev. Kevin Walrath officiating. A luncheon will be served in the church hall following the service before the committal at Memory Gardens. In lieu of flowers, condolences and memorial donations to Messiah Lutheran Church would be appreciated and can be arranged by contacting the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home, 171 King St. S., Waterloo at www.erbgood.com or 519-745-8445.