Foundation of the Family

During a time when there were a hundred things my great grandma Rose needed at age 96, to her, her needs were simple. She wanted to be surrounded by her family. And that is exactly what she got for as long as I can remember.
Rose Contraguerro, born in May of 1918 in Ohio. She raised eleven children with my grandpap. Although I never met him because he passed in 1975. She didn’t have life easy raising all her kids with her husband dying at a young age. But, even after her children were grown up, she went on to get a college degree at age 62.
She really was a great woman. She had a heart of gold and a love for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Everyone was drawn to her and she made everyone feel special. She was the foundation of the Contraguerro family, and that is unarguable.
Every holiday, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas we would all pile into her little one bedroom house to celebrate and be with her. Now of course not everyone would be there at the same time, but if you would like to have an idea of just how many people were visiting her — at the time of her death, it has grown since then, she had 44 grandchildren, 63 great grandchildren (that’s where I fall in this family tree) and 20 great-great grandchildren. Every one of us making the best effort possible to see her because we knew how much it meant to her. Getting together at my Grandma Rose’s house was the only time the whole family was ever together. We would sit around and talk, laugh and eat well. Christmas at her house is where I have the most memories from. When we were young my great grandma would cook tons of food and would always decorate the house by hanging every Christmas card and picture she received on her walls. As the years went on people had to start doing these things for her but she was still always happy and patient. When my grandma became chair-ground, there was still always a pleasant look on her face as she enjoyed everyone’s company despite rubbing her knees that were bad with arthritis the whole time and her lack of hearing. Moments spent at her house gave us memories we will cherish for a lifetime and traditions we will pass down for generations.
She was the foundation of our family.
The greatest woman in the Contraguerro Family left us on October 30 2015 at age 96. After not all being together during the holidays following her passing we knew we had to do something to bring the family together like she was always able to.
So, November 2016 was our first family reunion and remembrance party for my great grandma. It was filled with laughter, a lot of reminiscing, good food and watching the Steelers play. Just like the days when we were all at her house.