Rose C. Gallagher

Rose C. (Balboni) Gallagher, age 88 of Wakefield, MA, passed away peacefully on March 5, 2025.

Born in Boston on August 3, 1936, Rose was the daughter of Ermete and Adalgisa Balboni, Italian immigrants from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy.

Rose grew up in Roslindale and attended Roslindale High School. After graduation she settled into working for the Boston and Maine Railroad for 14 years. It was at a dance at the City Club in Boston where Rose met her husband, Arthur (Michael), and they enjoyed 53 years of marriage until his death in 2021. They were married in 1967 and moved to Wakefield where they raised their family. After staying home to raise her children Rose then went on to work in several roles as a bookkeeper until 1988 when she was hired at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Boston and ultimately promoted to Financial Administrator until her retirement in 2005.

Rose was an avid reader and a multi-talented woman who was an excellent seamstress, sewing beautiful clothes and costumes as well as mending, hemming, and tailoring for everyone in the family. She was a wonderful cook and loved to host parties for her family and friends. She was capable in many ways, including upholstering furniture, wallpapering, gardening, and making many beautiful crafts for holidays and special occasions. After retirement she and Mike loved traveling and spending time together at Hampton Beach.

Rose was a very warm and outgoing person who had a remarkable ability to make and keep good friends throughout her life, especially the "Club Girls". She was always open to expanding her social network as she got older which included joining the Sons and Daughters of Italy at the age of 86.

The most important thing to Rose was her family, especially her seven grandchildren whose company she always enjoyed and whom she taught many things including making traditional Italian food, in particular tortellini, which they carry on in her memory.

Rose was adored by her family and is survived by her daughter Lisa Serra (Joseph), her son Michael Gallagher (Melissa) seven grandchildren; Nadia, Danny, Sarah, Joseph, Michael, Katherine and Maria, her sister-in-law Marie Balboni as well many loving nieces and nephews. Rose was predeceased by her parents and brother Louis Balboni.

Visitation will be held at the McDonald Funeral Home, 19 Yale Ave., Wakefield on Thursday, March 13th from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Her Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Patrick Church, 71 Central St., Stoneham on Friday, March 14th at 10:00 a.m.