Obituary of Rosalina D'Souza

A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO OUR “ROSE”Mom. Grandma. Aunt. Sister. Sister-in-law. Daughter. Child of God.A kind, gentle and giving wife, mother to three and grandma to six grandchildren. Rosalina D’Souza passed away peacefully on Thanksgiving weekend in Toronto, Canada, October 11, 2020 at the Cardinal Ambrozic Houses of Providence in Scarborough, Ontario.Rosalina (Rose) D'Souza was born on October 2, 1930 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. The youngest of four children and only daughter to Zeferino and Christalina D'Souza of Anjuna, Goa. Her formative years were spent schooling at St. Anne's. She grew up in the Fort Area neighbourhood and was immersed in an extended family of grandparents, three brothers and their families. Her father was the proprietor of the famous Siena Restaurant. She grew up in an apartment building and one floor below was her future husband, Bonifacio (Bonny) D’Souza RIP 1929- 2019. She was a singer who cut several records, played only on a gramophone. She loved to dance and was a passionate fashionista, designing many dresses she wore.Married on July 31, 1955, Rose and Bonny sailed from Bombay to Dar es Salaam, Tanganyika (now Tanzania) and started life together, raising a family---Ludovic, Barbara and Genevieve. Rose was a skilled seamstress and cake maker who spent many hours at her sewing machine and in her kitchen perfecting her famous and tasty cutlets, patties, potato chops and sorpotel. She did this while raising her three children, alone many times as Bonny worked and played football (soccer). Yes, she was a soccer enthusiast always on the sidelines cheering him on! A basketball player in her school days, Rose, also became a devoted Raptors, Blue Jays and Toronto Maple Leafs fan until her passing.Through the years in Dar, she was devoted to her Catholic faith and was a spiritual role model to her children and grandchildren. God, St. Therese of Lisueux and St. Anthony were her saving grace in times of need. The family immigrated to Toronto, Canada in 1970. A new continent, four seasons and a new beginning did not deter her commitment to raising her family and making a new life. Rose was a highly-trained and skilled cake decorator. She made and decorated cakes, eventually starting her own business and was the birthday cake supplier for many friends, families and customers. Her rich Christmas cake was famous and some still have pieces stashed away today! She eventually took up work as a claims insurance assessor with Ontario Blue Cross, a company she walked to everyday and retired from at the age of 55. She was also an active volunteer with the Catholic Ladies Guild at John XXIII Parish in Flemingdon Park and at Taylor Place for Seniors in Don Mills, where she was an award-winning volunteer, taught sewing and held many craft shows and sales. She also didn’t miss a chance to go retail shopping and eat her favourite egg rolls in the food courts.Rose was a kind, giving, gentle soul who did not hesitate to make her opinion known on matters of daily life. She was a vocal, un-appointed ombudswoman in the condos that she lived in. She told it like it is and gave wise advice freely. Rose also followed local, national and international current events very closely, debated with many and engaged in contact with her local Parliamentarians on matters affecting daily community life.Rose's devout religious commitment carried her to churches, shrines and religious sites locally, across Canada and the USA and internationally to Lourdes (France), Fatima in (Portugal), the Holy Land (Jerusalem & Bethlehem) and the Vatican (Rome), to name a few, joining tour groups and igniting her social time while Bonny preferred home life.Rose was a pillar of strength and comfort and instilled patience and calmness in her three children while always forming a strong, motherly bond with them. She loved and enjoyed her extended family and friends at picnics, outings and get-togethers and loved dressing up for many GOA dances--an opportunity to ballroom dance with Bonny and socialize with friends and family. They both joined hands in celebration of their 60th wedding anniversary in July 2015, laughing and smiling as they cut their wedding-like cake.Pain and limited mobility plagued Rose for several years. But she pushed through and always maintained her good nature, an inner beauty and an ever present smile. She endured with the love and support of her three children. She lived the loss of her husband to dementia for five years until his passing in 2019, remaining strong and devout and still sociable in her daily life.Rose's final home was a peaceful calm to her failing health. The Cardinal Ambrozic Houses of Providence breathed new life into her as she made friends, attended daily mass, played bingo, attended movie and music nights and let all in charge know how to administer care to the elderly more "gently." On October 2, 2020, Rose was fully aware and smiling for her 90th birthday celebration, with visits from close family one at a time.Rose will be dearly missed by Ludovic, Barbara and Genevieve, their respective families and her extended families and all friends who knew her well. "To God we entrust her soul. RIP Mom. We love you."