Rose A. Brown was many things to many people. She was a daughter, a wife (66 years), a mother (of eight), a grandmother, a great-grandmother, an aunt, a cousin, and a friend. To her last days she heard from former students of 17th Street, 39th Street and Abate Schools who had a common refrain -- that "Mrs. Brown" was the teacher they never forgot. Everyone was special to her. She fretted even over the troubles of those she barely knew. Most of all, Rose Brown was a child of God, with Whom she is now reunited after 95 years of faithfulness on earth.

Rose died peacefully and surrounded by family members early Monday, January 21, 2019, at Our Lady of Peace Nursing Care Residence in Lewiston.

Born in the hardscrabble coal-mining territory of Juneau, Pennsylvania, Rose was the daughter of Dominic and Natalie (Pinizotti) Mento. Her family moved to Niagara Falls during the Great Depression and after attending local schools, including Gaskill and Niagara Falls High, she enrolled at Brockport State Teachers College where she earned her Bachelor's Degree in Education. Soon after she married her beloved husband, Harold C., Brown, a local certified public accountant who predeceased her in 2015. She was recipient of the Niagara Falls Education Foundation's "Distinguished Alumni Award."

A devout Catholic who attended Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church (now Holy Family) in Niagara Falls, Rose was often seen crocheting, knitting, fingering rosary beads, or listening as a book was read to her when her eyesight failed. It was her spiritual strength and bonhomie that took her through the trials of life, including the deaths of two sons, Russell and Christopher (Suzanne) Brown, and a grandson, Jonathan Miller. She was also predeceased by two siblings, Josephine (late Alfred) Elia and Andrew (Vilma) Mento. She is survived by six children, Kathleen (Dr. Theodore) Jenkins of Niagara Falls, Maureen (Michael) Cacace of Stamford, Connecticut, Michael (Lisa) Brown of Palm Coast, Florida, Steven (Connie) Brown, Patrick (Maria) Brown, all of Niagara Falls, and Jeannine (Kevin) Miller of Lewiston; fourteen grandchildren, Rob, Joe, Alex, Rich, Chrissy, Andrea, Allison, Lauren, Alyssa, Chris, Elizabeth, Joseph, Connor, and Mary Rose; eight great-grandchildren; as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was famous for calling everyone on their birthdays (somehow remembering dates and phone numbers right to the end) and singing "Happy Birthday" to them. She was tenacious in her loyalty to Niagara Falls as well as to the New York Yankees. Above all was her devotion to her large family, which was constantly gathered around her. It was not unusual for Rose to cook for upwards of forty people on holidays, and she had a special affinity for Christmas, bedecking the home extensively, with a faux fireplace from which hung a stocking for each child and later each grandchild, massing more than twenty. Her middle name was Annette, but it could also have been "love."

The family wishes to extend a special thank you to the staff at Our Lady of Peace for the care and compassion given to Rose.

There will be no prior visitation. Rose's Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, January 23, at 1:30 p.m. in Holy Family Parish at Mount Carmel, 27th Street and Independence Avenue, in Niagara Falls, near her long-time home on Forest Avenue. Entombment will follow in Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Lewiston. If desired, memorial donations may be made to Jonathan Miller "JMill" Giving Fund c/o 744 Curtis Court, Lewiston, N.Y. 14092. Arrangements by M. J. COLUCCI & SON NIAGARA FUNERAL CHAPEL. Visit mjcoluccifuneralchapel.com for online condolences.