Rosa (Saladino) Governale, 85, of Page, AZ, formerly of East Hartford, CT for more than 50 years, passed away on July 15, 2022.

Rosa was born on March 3, 1937, to Luciano and Giuseppa Saladino in the small town of Santa Margherita, Sicily. As a young girl Rosa would listen to the fascinating story of how her mother was born in America which meant that Rosa and her siblings were also American. With her mother then in Italy, and with no other relatives in America, young Rosa pleaded with every American who visited her small village to help her find her mother's birth certificate. In 1956 Ms. Jennie Macchi helped her realize her dream, and subsequently Rosa and her brother Frank sailed to America in the winter of 1957. Shortly after that Rosa married Biagio (Gino) Governale in 1958, and they went on to have 4 children: Peter, Mary (Christina), Luciano, and Susanna. 

Even as a busy wife and mother, Rosa demonstrated a love for spiritual things which had begun in childhood. In fact, when she was a little girl, she even asked her father if she could become a nun. As an adult, her spirituality intensified as she sought to understand the teachings of the Bible more fully. Periodically a young woman named Margi would come to her door offering Bible literature, which she would always take even though she couldn’t read English well. Then she was offered a Bible study with Margi's mom Rosie, and as Rosa heard the ring of truth, she knew that she had found what she was looking for all her life. Rosa was later baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and she endeared herself to many in her local congregation where she was affectionately called Mama Rosa, or Nonna later in her life, because she was everyone’s mother or grandmother; always showing love and hospitality.

Rosa loved cooking and sewing and when she wasn’t filling her home with warmth and kindness, she could be found working in her garden. Rosa's door was always open, and once you walked in the aroma of freshly made pizza or some other delicious Italian meal would greet you, and she would never let you leave without having a bite to eat. We will all miss her deeply.

Rosa was predeceased by Accurzio Saladino, Giuseppa Conforto, Anna Grafato, Maria Lasala, Francesco (Frank) Saladino, Antonia Toretta, Giuseppe (Joe) Saladino. She is survived by her brother Charlie Saladino along with her 4 children and their spouses, Peter Governale, wife Melissa of Mansfield, CT; Mary (Chris) Waller, husband David of Page, AZ; Luciano Governale, wife Lisa of Unionville, CT; Susanna Ives, husband Ken of Wytheville, VA. and her 10 grandchildren, Timothy, Jared, Justin, Rachel, Brittany, Jonathan, Joshua, Austin, Jordan & Wesley, and one great grandchild Colton as well as many nieces and nephews. 

We all look forward to seeing our beloved mother and grandmother again soon.

A memorial service will be held on Zoom for family and friends on Saturday August 13, 2022 at 6PM EST. An invitation will be provided to all who wish to attend. Contact travelinivy@gmail.com for details.

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