Rose Ann (Pasquariello) DeStefano, 95 of Tewksbury, passed away peacefully on Sunday, July 6, 2025 surrounded by her loving family. She was the widow of the late Albert Vincent DeStefano who she celebrated 71 years of marriage with, before he passed away in March 2021.
She was born in Boston on January 28, 1930 and was a daughter of the late Vincent and Theresa (Viggiano) Pasquariello. She was raised in East Boston, where she attended the area schools graduating from Girl’s High School. She also attended Fitchburg State College to study business for a brief period of time.
In the 1970’s Rose taught typing and keypouch operations at night school for Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical High School (GLRVTHS). During these years Rose and Al traveled throughout Europe and the US with the Gourmet Club, which was part of GLRVTHS. They visited Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Greece, Ireland, Hawaii and many states within the US. Rose also worked in the office at Courier Citizen for over 10 years. In 1989, Rose retired to help take care of her grandson Jake. This earned her the nickname “Mama”.
She was an avid quilter, knitter and had a deep love for needlepoint and other handwork. In her younger years, she knitted baby sweaters for all her grandchildren, and fisherman sweater for Albert. Rose also enjoyed cooking and gardening, finding joy in the simple, meaningful pleasures of home life. You could often find Rose in the kitchen on Sundays cooking a big Italian dinner.
She was a strong-willed and independent woman with a generous heart—she’d give you the shirt off her back. Outgoing and friendly, she could strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere, leaving a lasting impression wherever she went.
Rose loved being a part of raising her family, especially her grandchildren. Even when she couldn’t be there in person, she made sure to stay connected—often FaceTiming just to be present in their lives.
Her survivors include her 3 triplet daughters; Karla A. St. Peter and her husband, Loren, of Ashburnham, Stephanie D. Turner, of Tewksbury, Karol R.T. DeStefano of Townsend, and Robert Turner of Dracut (who represents the son she never had); her grandchildren; Jaemi Carkin and her husband, Darren, of Leesburg, VA, Matthew Stefanilo and his wife, Colby, of Ashburnham, Adam Sawyer of Ashburnham, Christopher Stefanilo and his wife, Heather, of Townsend, Katelyn Braun and her husband, John, of Townsend and Jake (James Michael) Turner and his wife, Kate, of Riverside, RI; her great grandchildren; Hannah, Christopher, Callie, Maddyson, Nicholas, Sawyer, Emerson, Olive, Elliott, Simon and Finn; her sister, Angela Bertolino of Littleton, and many nieces an nephews.
In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by her sister the late Julia Stefanilo, Bother-in-law the late Nicholas Stefanilo, Brother-in-law the late Jerome Bertolino and her son-in-law the late Jonathan Turner, who cherished her.
Rose will be remembered as a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, aunt, mother-in-law and friend. She was filled with a generous heart who always put family first. Many hearts grieve for her passing and were touched by her oversized personality. She will be greatly missed.
In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to: The Dana Farber/ Jimmy Fund, 10 Brookline Place West, 5th Floor, Brookline, MA 02445-7226. Or online at: Jimmy Fund Donation Link
On Monday, July 14, 2025 all are welcome to attend her calling hours from 9-11 a.m. at Tewksbury Funeral Home, 1 Dewey Street, Tewksbury 978-851-2061. Her funeral mass will be offered at 11:30 a.m. at St. Williams Church in Tewksbury, followed by procession to Tewksbury Cemetery.
For those who can not attend, the funeral will be live streamed and will begin slightly before or at 11:30 a.m. Monday at: Live Streaming Link