Obituary of Rosella Allen

Rosella Allen passed away peacefully on Wednesday, January 13, 2016, at the age of 95. Predeceased by her loving husband of 42 years, James (Jimmy) Allen. Rosella is survived by: one son, Don Allen of Port Perry, Ontario, two grand daughters, Hayley (Brian) Henricks, Shannon Allen, two great grandchildren, Colton and Maylyn Henricks, three sisters in law, Mrs. Auline Roper, Mrs. Nora Allen, Mrs. Leona Allen, one brother in law, Mr. Arthur Hayden as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. Rosella lived a full, happy, loving, productive and spiritually aware life. A life long believer in Jesus Christ and the power of prayer, Rosella was active at various times in both the Anglican and Catholic churches of east Saint John and Rothesay. She was an avid reader who was particularly fond of poetry which she collected and loved to recite. She preferred works of non fiction over fiction especially biographies. Her favorite and most read book was the Bible which she read cover to cover more than once over her lifetime. During the course of her life Rosella had several psychic experiences beginning at the age of 12 when she awoke from a dream which foretold of the sudden, unexpected and unexplained death of her older brother George. True to her dream, his body was never found. Rosella was born on March 30, 1920. She was the youngest of seven children born to Esther and Nicholas English in the Newfoundland outport community of Branch on St Mary’s Bay. Growing up in Branch was for her a blessing and she would often say "we wanted for nothing". She was intensely proud of her Newfoundland heritage. She cherished her memories of those times and drew upon them often over the years as a source of comfort, strength, joy, love, laughter, insight and understanding. At the age of 17, having completed high school, Rosella moved to Saint John. It was there in 1944 that she met her future husband, Jimmy. He was in Saint John as part of the Merchant Marine war effort. She would later write that she was sitting on a bus with a girl friend when "a thought came into my mind. It was as clear as if someone was speaking to me. The thought was to look out the window and I would see the man I was going to marry. I looked out the window. I saw two men coming up the street one had blond curly hair and the other light brown curly hair. They walked up the street and came to where the bus was parked and they stopped. At this point, in my mind, I asked "which one? ", and at that moment, the one with light brown hair looked at me. I smiled and they got on the bus" It was literally a mutual case of love at first sight. Shortly thereafter Rose emigrated to Saint John where she was immediately welcomed into the large, loving, close and rapidly expanding extended Allen family. The couple married in 1945 with their first child, a boy, Don, arriving in 1946. Tragically, two more children, a girl in1948 and second boy in 1952 did not survive their birth. Rose and Jim continued to live and work in east Saint John until 1961 when the family moved to the Clarke Road in Fairvale where they built the home they would happily occupy for the next forty years. Jim died in 1987. Rose returned to east Saint John in 2002 as a resident of the Loch Lomond Villa where she remained until May of 2013 when she moved into Maple House in the newly opened Loch Lomond Village. Rosella loved her life, her extended family, her home and her work. Active and energetic she was accustomed to work and generally approached it with a cheery disposition. The daily tasks of cooking and cleaning were undertaken with vigour and enthusiasm. She loved company and visitors to her home. Family, friends, neighbours or strangers were always warmly welcomed. She was a good cook with a sweet tooth, a collection of recipes and a willingness to experiment. When it came to cleaning, cleanliness was indeed close to godliness. Rosella was gregarious and was not shy about sharing her opinion when she felt it necessary. She loved meeting, talking and working with people. Over the course of her life and working career she made many friends of various ages, occupations and stations in life. She worked and truly enjoyed working in retail sales for years in various capacities for many local firms including MRA’s, Scoville’s, Titus Drugs and numerous other department and drug stores. Generally Rosella possessed a robust constitution and enjoyed good health over her working career. However, a diagnosis of and subsequent recovery from breast cancer in the late 1970’s brought it to an end. Retirement agreed with Rosella and she enjoyed it, devoting more time to knitting, reading and walking. She is and will be mourned and missed. A special word of thanks and appreciation to the staff and volunteers of the Loch Lomond Villa especially those of Maple House. Their level of care, kindness, understanding and support is outstanding and particularly noteworthy given the continuous demand for their services. Thanks again for all your help. Resting at Brenan’s Funeral Home, 111 Paradise Row, Saint John, NB (634-7424) with visitation on Thursday, January 14, 2016 from 7-9 PM. A funeral liturgy will be celebrated from Brenan’s Chapel on Friday, January 15, 2016 at 1:00 PM. Interment in Ocean View Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers a donation to the charity of your choice would be appreciated. Online condolences may be placed at www.BrenansFH.com.