Born July 16, 1927, in Boston, she was the only child of Clyde and Helen (Senior) Land.  Rosa leaves her daughters, Tracey Bias and her companion Gregory Gaffney of Worcester, and Amy Russo and her husband Ed of Leicester; her step-son Ted Roco and his wife Mary of Amherst; and her grandchildren Christina, Sean, Michael and Giuliana Russo, Jim White, and Melissa and Angela Roco; and her great-granddaughter Hailey Heckman.  Rosa was predeceased by her husband Theodore “Ted” Roco, her son Steven White and her grandson Jonathan Butler.  

  Raised and educated in Arlington, MA, Rosa subsequently audited courses in English Literature and Journalism at HarvardUniversity.  After living out of state, including in Kansas and Brooklyn, New York, she returned to Massachusetts where she settled in Amherst to work and raise her family.  She worked at AmherstCollege for 25 years as the Supervisor of the Offices of Administrative Services and MailingCenter. Later Rosa worked at Hospice of Hampshire County.  Rosa was an avid reader of mysteries and thrillers, and also enjoyed walking and fishing.  But her favorite pastime was visiting the seashore, especially her beloved Gloucester.  

  After retiring, Rosa moved to the Worcester area to be closer to her daughters and their families. Before her recent move to Millbury Health Care Center, she spent the last few years at Christopher Heights Assisted Living in Webster, where she enjoyed living in her lovely private apartment, and was also treated  like family by the dedicated staff.  

A calling hour will be held Monday, March 10, 2014 at 10 am at the Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst, with a short service immediately following. Burial will follow at Wildwood cemetery in Amherst. Memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.