Obituary of Rose M. Townsend

Rose M. Townsend (Armstrong), 90, of Westmoreland, celebrated her heavenly birthday on Friday, June 3, 2022 at her home surrounded by her loving family. She was born on January 30, 1932 in Utica, the daughter of the late Lawrence Armstrong and granddaughter of the late Bessie Armstrong. Rose attended Westmoreland Schools and graduated from the Town of Webb Schools. She was joined in holy matrimony to her devoted husband Lewis J. Townsend on November 5, 1955. Together they built a loving home with 7 children. Her home was always filled with the laughter of family and friends, whom were more like family. She loved tending to her multiple vegetable gardens, from which she would gather ingredients to make delicious meals for her family. Her kitchen always smelled of her baked goods, with her apple pie being a grandchild favorite, and amazing dinners that could feed all of Westmoreland. She made her family her top priority and by doing so, her children and grandchildren are each other’s best friends. She embodied the spirit of Jesus and instilled a strong faith in her children. She loved everyone who entered her life with unconditional love. With a heart of service, she and her loving husband fostered many children over the years. They also adopted many fur children, most recently her cat Mickey and grand dog Murphy. During her life she loved canoeing and camping in the Adirondacks. She enjoyed tending to her rock garden where she placed her handcrafted gnomes. She loved to craft and sew, teaching some of her daughters and granddaughters to knit and sew. Her most cherished time was spent with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, she would light up when spending time with them. Rose volunteered with the Westmoreland Fire Department in the Women’s Auxiliary and spent many years volunteering with the Scouts. With her unwavering faith she continuously volunteered at her Church serving our community. She volunteered with Hospice for 10 years, and in 2011 she received the Paperclip award. She retired from the Federal Reserve Bank in 1995 and had previously worked for Oneida National Bank. She is survived by her four daughters and three sons and their spouses; Christine (Tom) Rodda, Karen (Gary) Salvatore, Mark (Marsha) Townsend, Luanne (Anthony) Levigne, Lauren (Timothy) Kornmeyer, Lewis Townsend, Scott (Cheryl) Townsend. Also 13 grandchildren, Gary (Lauren) Salvatore Jr., Joshua (Kristen) Townsend, Jimmy (Ashley) Townsend, Mary Rose (Alex) Zaranski, Nicole (Dave) Cardarelli, Kenneth (Melanie) Townsend, Michelle (Matthew) Townsend, Danielle (Brian) Plyler, Dallion Townsend (Ashley Rosati), Matthew Rodda (Hannah Langone), Sean, Zachary and Alexis Townsend; 5 step-grandchildren, Kevin, Thomas, Kara, Cassie and Logan. Along with 14 great-grandchildren, Annabelle, Asher, Lilah, Emma, Salvatore, Josephine, Lewis, Ryker, Dominic, Maverick, Anthony, Aveline, June and Jordan. Sisters-in-laws Andria Townsend, Catherine Miller and Esther Donnenwirth; brother-in-law Robert Harrigan. She is predeceased by her husband Lewis J Townsend. Friends are invited to call Wednesday, June 8, 2022 from 4-7 pm at Owens-Pavlot & Rogers Funeral Service, 35 College St., Clinton. Funeral Services will be held on Thursday, June 9, 2022 at 10:15am at Church of the Annunciation, Clark Mills, where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated. Burial will follow in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Clinton. Special thanks to Hospice who assisted the family during this time. For those so desiring you may honor Rose by contributing to Hospice and Palliative Care Inc, of Clinton and St. Jude. The family wants to thank Rose’s caregivers for their love and support and making Rose feel like a friend and not a patient. A special thanks to Diana Johns, Geri Allen, Caylie Fluharty, and her guardian angel Dianne French. They would also like to thank Dr. Amy Gorczynski and Kory Buckley for their love and medical support. The family would like to thank Lauren and her husband Tim for fulfilling her promise to keep Mom in her house. Thank you for all the love and support we have received from our dear friends and family during Rose’s courageous and long battle.