Rose Terzian   01/29/2024

                ROSE TERZIAN’S story began in Europe when her parents, Charles and Mary Farrugia, who had earlier lived in America, traveled from their homeland MALTA to Tunis in Africa, for a vacation.  There they conceived Rose.  In an effort to ensure that the new baby would be an American Citizen, they traveled with their three other children, Mary, Joseph and Louise, back to the USA.  Entering through Ellis Island, Mary Farrugia, in her pregnant state, was quarantined on Ellis Island, where she underwent constant examination by the immigration authorities to insure that she was healthy.  Finally, after many weeks, Mary was released to NYC where Charles and the other 3 children were waiting.  On one fateful day, the 19^th of February 1928, Rose was born a healthy little girl. 

                Rose was, of course, the “baby” of the family.  Her parents, though immigrants, were business-minded and ran a rooming house.  So even though the great depression was looming ahead, the family always had cash.  They were not rich, but they spoiled their children, and especially Rose, whose long banana curls, stole their heart away.

                Rose remembers living on 113^th Street near 5^th Avenue in Harlem until the building her father owned was condemned to make space for a housing project.  The family relocated to Chelsea and Rose grew up in a brownstone at 432 West 22^st Street, between 9^th and 10^th Avenues.  Her older siblings attended Saint Columba Catholic School on 25^th St between 8^th and 9^th Avenue.  But because her older sister, Mary, was subjected to corporal punishment by the Nuns, her parents decided that Rose would attend the local public elementary school, PS 11, on 22^nd Street between 8^th and 9^th Avenues.  In 8^th Grade, Rose  graduated PS 11 and went on to Washington Irving High School, where she studied sewing and developed her ability as an adept seamstress.  It was also during those high School years that she met her first husband, Edward Terzian.  Edward was from a poor Armenian immigrant family who were descendants of refugees of the Armenian genocide.  He lived on 31st street near 3^rd Avenue.

                By then the USA was involved in World War II, and Edward followed his older brother, Archie, to the pacific arena where Edward was badly injured in a Kamikaze attack.  Rose was committed to Edward despite several years of separation due to the war.  Eventually, Edward was discharged from the military and they married in 1948. They set up household and Rose had two daughters, Charlene and Virginia.  But although Edward’s burn scars had healed, his mental scars made it impossible for him to live up to his responsibilities.  His mental disability prevented him from keeping any job.   Rose clung to her romantic belief that Edward’s mental condition could be cured.  But her life was a series of tumultuous episodes.  Although Edward had a veterans pension that he shared with Rose, it was barely enough, so Rose worked every day from 9am to 5pm, as a bookkeeper.  She was trained on one of the premier NCR accounting machines and never had trouble getting a job in Manhattan.   Even though she worked full time, Rose always found time to sew clothes, which she enjoyed and which also saved money.  In essence, Rose was a single mom and her daughters were latchkey kids. 

                   Though her Catholic upbringing forbad divorce, Rose eventually realized that there was no way to have a normal life while she was married to Edward;  so in 1970 she divorced Edward and married his brother Archie, whose honest purpose was to make up for the failures of his brother, Edward.   In all the years to follow until his death in 2005, Archie took care of Rose and tried to be a father to his nieces Charlene and Virginia.  During those many years, Rose enjoyed her life.  She stopped working as a bookkeeper and became a fabulous cook.  She put her sewing skills to work making clothes for herself, her daughters and Archie.  She also learned to knit and crochet and made beautiful things that her family members cherish to this day.

                While they were still in good health, Rose and Archie traveled.  Archie took Rose to visit her ancestral home, Malta, where she reconnected with distant family.  Rose had collected many friends throughout her lifetime.  Some were coworkers from her business days such as Lillian Amerigo and Marie Vicini.  But she lost touch with these people later in life.

                 Rose’s bedrock involvements were always with family.  She even re-kindled a relationship with her mother’s grand niece, Mary Kane, and stayed in contact with her even after Mary moved to far away Colorado.  Ironically even though Mary was 20 years younger than Rose, Mary suddenly passed away in 2022.  Similarly, she kept in touch with her Long Island cousin, Louis Fenech, and his wife, Tillie, until Louie’s death in 2012.          

                Eventually, when Charlene got married and had two children, Rose became the favorite grandmother to Nicole and Jonathan.  She always admired her son-in-law, Steven, who was a psychiatrist.  And when granddaughter Nicole had two boys, Asher and Sebastian, Rose doted on her two great-grandsons, and also welcomed Nicole’s husband, Andreas into the family. 

                All the while, Rose maintained an incredibly close relationship with her sisters, Mary and Louise.  When Mary had a stroke in the 1990s, Rose traveled to California to nurse her back to health, but Mary ultimately died in a nursing home.  Throughout the decades, Rose devoted her time to visiting Louise and her family in Florida.  She was particularly fond of her nieces, Jeanette, Paulette and Nancy and was dedicated to them and their families.  When Louise became ill, Rose spent weeks, year after year, visiting Louise and trying to coax her back to good health.  Louise eventually passed away in 2010.  Tragically Rose's youngest Niece, Nancy passed away in 2019.

                After Archie’s death in 2005, her younger daughter Virginia became Rose’s steadfast companion.  Their life together in the Manhattan Chelsea apartment at Penn South was peaceful and routine.  Although, Rose began to show signs of aging, both her daughters stayed close.  They often took Rose to Church, to the Christmas Show, to the NYC Ballet, to Atlantic City, to Florida, and out to eat; they tried hard to keep her happy.  She was always the center of attention for the holidays which she enjoyed sharing with her family. 

                Unfortunately, in late 2017, Rose took ill and remained bedridden and in need of 24 hour care.  Her dementia did not prevent her from occasionally realizing her sorry plight:  she no longer controlled her life, she could not get out of bed, she could not go to the toilet, wash, dress or feed herself.  She was sadly woeful of her situation and spent much of her time in tears.  Her aides, Sophia, Sonia and Janeta became her wonderful caretakers; Rose and her family will always be truly grateful to them.

                Rose clung to life from October, 2017, to December, 2020.  Her frail body continued to hang on, despite numerous failures, but it finally gave out on giving her the eternal heavenly peace that she deserves.

Rather than Flowers, please send mass cards to 290 9th Avenue (Apt 1J) or consider making a donation in Rose’s Name to one of the following organizations that have supported Rose during the past 6 years:

MJHS Hospice Program Foundation                                                     

https://mjhsfoundation.org/donate

Penn South Program for Senior Citizens 

seniorprograms@psss.org

290 A 9th Avenue

New York, NY 10001

212-243-3670        

 The Church of St. Francis of Assisi, 135–139 West 31st Street, New York City, New York, NY 212 736 8500,   info@stfrancisnyc.org,  https://www.stfrancisnyc.org/

Caring Kind, The Heart Of Alzheimer's Caregiving FKA Alzheimer's Association (New York City Chapter)

360 Lexington Ave, 3rd Fl

New York, NY 100017

646-744-2900

https://caringkindnyc.org/