Maria Rosa (Rivas) Walsh, 80, of Lowell, known to all who loved her as Rosa, passed away peacefully at her home surrounded by her loving family on Friday, November 6, 2026.
Rosa was born in Lima, Peru, on July 15, 1946, the daughter of the late Jose Andres Rivas and the late Imelda (Tejada) Rivas. She grew up and was educated in Tingo María, Peru, and came to the United States in her late teenage years, making her first home in Woburn. She later attended Middlesex Community College, where she earned her certificate as a surgical technician, and went on to work for many years as a surgical tech at Saints Memorial Medical Center in Lowell.
With her first husband, Willis Alvin Grant, who served in the United States Army, Rosa lived the life of a true military family, relocating all over the country and raising her children wherever duty called. In the early 1970s she married Dennis Walsh, also a serviceman, and they lived in Georgia and later at West Point, New York. Through all those moves, New England was always home, and she eventually settled with her family in Woburn. For the last 20 years she has made her home in Lowell.
Rosa was the glue that held her family together. She loved to cook, she enjoyed crossword puzzles, and she loved to knit, making blankets for everyone in her life, each one a warm reminder of her love. She was a devoted fan of New England sports and enjoyed attending the theater and concerts. Rosa also had a great love of travel, and she never took a quick trip. Whether she was visiting family in Missouri or Arizona or traveling through South America and around the world, she would often be gone for a month or two at a time, savoring every place she went and every person she visited.
Rosa is survived by her six children, William Joseph Grant and his wife Maria of Warrensburg, Missouri, Maria “Sissy” Van Allen and her husband Eric of Marana, Arizona, Robert Charles Grant and his wife Charlene of Dracut, Jennifer Ann Grant of Woburn, Edward Francis Walsh of Hudson, New Hampshire, and Theresa Marisol (Walsh) Brink and her husband Christopher of Lowell; her grandchildren, Michael, Jennifer, Kenneth, Willis, Ralphie, Mariana, Danielle, Jared, Benjamin, Robbie, Mathew, Joseph, Julia, Eddie, Olivia, Isabella and Samuel; her many great-grandchildren, including Robbie, Quintin, Mimi, Jordan, Jasmine, Zandre, Lukas, Brooklyn, Jadyn, Kyron and Miranda Leigh with more on the way; her brothers, Augustine Rivas of Iquitos, Peru, Walter Rivas of Berkeley, California, and Javier Rivas and his wife Liana of Eugene, Oregon; her brother-in-law, Rod Williams of Lima, Peru; her nephews, Eddie Rivas, Ronnie Rivas, and Andres James Conley and her nieces, Carmen Doran, Jessica Gironda and her children Theresa & Eusebio Gironda; and her large extended family all across the country including Justin, Joey and Jason, with whom she was very close. She was predeceased by her first husband, Willis Alvin Grant, and by her siblings, Ronald Rivas, Irma Rivas, Elba Williams, Theresa Rivas and Jose Antonio “Coco” Rivas, and her nephew Shawn Williams, and her best friend Bruce Callicut. Rosa also leaves her dear friends and neighbors, Alex, Marvin, Jennifer and Jason.
Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend a funeral service on Friday, November 13, 2026, at 11:00 AM in the Chapel at the Lowell Cemetery, 77 Knapp Avenue, Lowell. Burial will follow in Lowell Cemetery. Arrangements are under the care and direction of McDonough Funeral Home, 14 Highland Street, Lowell, MA 01852.