Office of Public Relations
Rose DeFede, Long-Time University Employee, Dies
Miss DeFede held numerous positions since coming as a student in 1954Posted: Monday, August 30, 2010
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STEUBENVILLE, OH—Rose DeFede ’60, director of community development, Community Relations Department, died Saturday, August 28, after a short illness. Visitation will be held Tuesday, August 31, 2:00-4:00 p.m. and 6:00-8:00 p.m. with a wake service at 6:00 p.m. and a Secular Franciscan Order service at 7:00 p.m. at Reasner Funeral Home, 1515 Charles Street, Wellsburg, West Virginia. The funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday, September 1, at 10:00 a.m. at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 1300 Charles Street, Wellsburg, with Father Vincent Joseph officiating. Internment will immediately follow at Franklin Cemetery, Wellsburg.
Also, a Memorial Mass honoring Rose DeFede will be held on Friday, September 3, 2010, at 3:00 p.m. in Christ the King Chapel on the campus of Franciscan University of Steubenville.
Rose was a charter member of the Franciscan University Woman’s Guild and helped institute a scholarship program for non-traditional female students. Every year two women from the local tri-county area are chosen to receive these scholarships. Because this cause was very dear to her, this scholarship program will now be known as The Rose M. DeFede Memorial Scholarship.
Rose’s family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to St. John School in Wellsburg or to Franciscan University.
Rose DeFede took a full-time secretarial position at the College of Steubenville a few months after enrolling in 1954 and worked here until her death. During her tenure at the University she served as school cashier, accountant, first-ever bookstore manager, assistant to the treasurer, first personnel manager, first female controller, purchasing agent, director of business services, first woman to serve on the President’s Council, alumni director, and a host of other University and community appointments, paid and volunteer. In recent years, as director of community development, she worked on many projects for Community Relations, with a special emphasis on developing and exhibiting the University’s art collection.
More than once as controller she made arrangements with banks to meet payroll during challenging economic times. In 1975 she served on a Campus Ministry team to organize a food drive and place student volunteers at a local orphanage, the precursor to today’s Works of Mercy program.
Starting in 1963, and for many years thereafter, she sang the National Anthem or Alma Mater during commencement exercises. She was well known at campus functions as the University’s unofficial campus poet laureate, offering her custom-written poems at an employee’s retirement party or other event.
May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.