Rose Smith Anton

Rose Anton, Beloved Mother, Grandmother, Great-grandmother and Friend

Rose Smith Anton, born Roza Smith, age 88, of Eatonton, Georgia, died Wednesday, June 16, 2010, at her home. Born in Derry, New Hampshire on March 10, 1922, she was one of the five children of the late Lida Holzvey and John Smith, German and Russian immigrants. In 1942, she married Frederick Peter Anton, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, who preceded her in death in 1982. While he served in the U.S. Army during World War II, she worked in munitions at the Boston Naval Shipyard. She also served as a nurse in Lawrence, Massachusetts, and then owned her own hair salon for many years. In addition to her husband, Fred, she was preceded in death by her son, Pari Frederick Anton, in 2000. The oldest living matriarch over a family of 126 people, Rose is survived by a a daughter-in-law and son, Mary Ellen and John Anton; a daughter, Mona Tycz; a daughter-in-law, Mary Anton; a niece, Rita (Woiceshook) Schena; grandsons, Peter, Freddy, Jason, Eddie, and John; and great-grandchildren, Yelaina, Madeleine, Callie, Matthew, Molly, Emily, Grace, Madison, Mason and Joseph. She lived much of her life in Haverhill and Lawrence, Massachusetts, where she was a lifelong member of Saint Anthony''s Maronite Catholic Church, and also in Pine Island, Florida. For five years, she has lived in Cuscowilla in Eatonton, Georgia, where she became a fixture, making many friends with golfers and neighbors by offering refreshments as they passed her back yard. She was a talented painter, and greatly enjoyed reading, golf, and nature. However, her true love in life was her family, and each new generation brought her even greater joy. A spirited and passionate woman, her tenderness showed most when she was with the children in her family. They will always remember her limitless patience and interest in their lives. And they were clearly her heart.

She will be buried with her husband, Fred, at Saint Anthony Cemetery in Methuen, Massachusetts. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made in her memory to St. Anthony Maronite Catholic Church, 145 Amesbury Street, Lawrence, MA 01841. McCommons Funeral Home, 109 W. Broad St., Greensboro, GA, (706) 453-2626, is in charge of arrangements. Visit us online at www.mccommonsfuneralhome.com to sign the guest register.

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