Rosemary J. Albelo

Geremia on September 25, 1942. Her dad had to get a 2-day pass from basic training with the

Army for the first American troops in North Africa, in order to see his first child. When he

returned from the war to be with his family again, he had a mustache and lost all his hair on top

of his head. Ro was reluctant to go to this “stranger” that was the beginning of the strained

relationship.

The family lived with the Geremia grandparents. When Ro was five they all moved to Los

Angeles to alleviate her grandmother’s asthma (the air was clean then). The family bought a

home in Highland Park, a suburb of LA. Ten years later her family returned to Bristol leaving the

grandmother in Highland Park. They bought a house in Gil’s neighborhood. They started dating

in 1961 when Gil was enrolled at UCONN and Ro worked at the Travelers Insurance Co in

Hartford CT. Most of their dates involved dancing and that continued into their 80s. Ro and Gil

married in Bristol, Connecticut, May 16, 1964 and a year later after Gil’s college graduation, they

packed and headed to Southern California. They lived in Torrance, CA while Ro worked at the

west coast office of Travelers in downtown L.A.. During this time Gil worked at Oilwell

Research in Long Beach, CA. They moved to Riverside when Gil enrolled in the graduate

school at UC Riverside. In June of 1970 their first child, Jeffery Alan, was born. In 1972 Gil

received his PhD in chemistry and Ro received her PhT(putting hubby through), she typed his

150 page dissertation twice. That August they drove to Gresham, OR where Gil started teaching

chemistry at Mt. Hood Community College. While Gil taught chemistry, Ro became a full-time

worker at home for the next several years. While attending the Gresham United Methodist

church,Sometime in 1974, Bill and Leanne Bowlby led Gil and Ro to Jesus and were baptized in

the Holy Spirit, this began a radical shift in their marriage and family. Later that same year, their

second son, Jason Scott was born (in July of 1974), whereupon Ro informed her husband that

if he wanted more children, he would have to give birth to them.

The next several years were growing years for Ro & Gil as they learned what it meant to follow

Jesus as husband and wife and mom and dad. In 1979, the family moved to College Station

Texas while Gil took a sabbatical to work on research at Texas A & M University. Texas was a

year of spiritual awakening for Ro and Gil and the whole family. When they returned to

Gresham, they discerned the voice of the Lord leading them to East Hill Church. Ro and Gil first

began to work in marriage ministry with Pastors Jerry & Barbara Cook. When Jeff and Jason

were in grade school, Ro took a job as a kindergarten teacher’s aide at Hollydale Elementary

School. Ro would work there for 10 years In 1985, shortly after Ted & Diane Roberts stepped in

to Lead East Hill, Ro and Gil were given the opportunity to lead a marriage enrichment ministry

with Don and Nancy Humphries. The ministry lasted for 15 years. Both Ro and Gil served as

pastors at East Hill church and were ordained in 2002. Ro (Grammy as she became known)

always made her family a priority and especially her grandkids.

Ro is survived by her brother Frank (Laurie), sister Fran (Bert), husband Gil, sons Jeffery Alan,

Jason Scott, and five grandchildren: Ashley, Victoria, Jarrett, Anthony, and Addison.

A Celebration of Ro's Life will be held at 3:30pm on Sunday, November 17, 2024 at East Hill Church in Gresham, Oregon. Contributions may be made as donations to ALS Northwest at alsnorthwest.org or My Father's House at www.familyshelter.org in Ro's name.