Rose M. Turner

Rose M. Turner (Gervais), 83, of Smithfield, passed away peacefully on Monday, August 14, 2023.  She was the devoted and dearly beloved wife of James A. Turner, to whom she was happily married for 64 years. Born in Providence, she was a daughter of the late Wilfred J. and Mary Jane (Forget) Gervais.

Rose lived a long and very happy life. She will always be remembered as a positive, generous, kind, sweet and compassionate person who lived by the Golden Rule. She was a lifelong Smithfield resident and dedicated parishioner of Saint Michael's Church. Rose was great homemaker and loved to read, bake, listen to music, decorate, and keep a sparkling clean house.

Rose was a wonderful mother to Dr. Diane M. Turner-Bowker and her husband, Robert E. Bowker, IV, who she loved as her own son. As “Meme”, she absolutely adored her grandchildren, Maia Rose and Robert, and enjoyed being an important part of their daily lives as they grew up, attending every school, sport and music event as their greatest fan.

Rose was a dear sister and best friend of the late Mary Jane Rossi. She was very close with and also loved Mary's children Cathy, Jimmy, David, and Paul as her own. She is also survived by her brother Michael R. Gervais, and many other beloved godchildren, nieces and nephews, other family members and friends.

Rose worked in the Rhode Island jewelry industry for many years, was quality control inspector at A.T. Cross for a decade, and was a vocational support professional at the John E. Fogarty Center before retiring to spend her days doing what she loved the most, spending time with her family.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, August 19, 2023 from 9-10:30 am in the Robbins Funeral Home, 2251 Mineral Spring Ave., North Providence, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 am in St. Michael’s Church, 80 Farnum Pike, Smithfield.  Burial will follow in Highland Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to St. Michael’s Church, 80 Farnum Pike, Smithfield, RI or the John E. Fogarty Center, 310 Maple Ave., Suite 102, Barrington, RI 02806.