Amalia Rodas Carrasquillo Gerrish, 87, of Naples, FL and Londonderry, NH, passed away on July 7, 2020 in Naples, Florida. She was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, to Osvaldo Rodas and Ángela Díaz. She attended Bayamón High School, the University of Puerto Rico and Mills College of Education in New York from where she graduated in 1953 and also earned a Master’s in Special and Bilingual Education from Boston University in 1979.
She spent 46 years teaching elementary school in the Antilles Consolidated Schools (Department of Defense Education Activity) in Puerto Rico as well as the Boston Public Schools. Amalia is best described as having a passion for learning, always developing new ideas about how to make teaching meaningful and fun things to do with the students.
In 1956 she married her high school sweetheart, Pedro A. Carrasquillo of Vega Alta, Puerto Rico, and they were married for 37 years until his death in 1993. Together they raised five children who now live in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Florida and California. She was proud of her children’s accomplishments and was delighted with her grandchildren’s successes.
Amalia retired from teaching in 1999 and moved to Londonderry, New Hampshire where she met her future husband Scott Gerrish. They married in 2000 and he quickly became her protector, counselor and friend. For a number of years they travelled between Florida and New Hampshire until permanently settling down in Naples, Florida. Their relationship was a second chance at romance for both of them.
Her husband, Scott, and her close friend, Ivette Delucca, lovingly cared for her during the last few years of her life. The family gives them and everyone else who cared for Amalia their greatest and warmest gratitude. Her lovely spirit will live on with all of us.
She is survived by her husband Scott, her children, Pedro O. Carrasquillo, Jose A. Carrasquillo, Pedro A. Carrasquillo, Pedro L. Carrasquillo and Margarita Daouk, their spouses, her stepchildren, Scott Gerrish Jr., Caren Perdigao, Glenn Gerrish, their spouses, 15 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren as well as a number of other loving relatives and close friends.
Private funeral services were held on Saturday November 7, 2020 at the Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium, 290 Mammoth Road, Londonderry, NH. In lieu of flowers, please make a “Memorial Gift in Memory of Amalia Gerrish” donation to the Immanuel Lutheran Church, 673 Weston Road, Manchester, New Hampshire 03103.