Wonderful actress, loved to travel, listen to music and loved all things French
MELROSE — Ann Roman passed suddenly on Christmas Day surrounded by family and friends. She lived life on her terms until her last breath.
Ann grew up in Brookline and later moved to Beacon Hill where she lived on Pinckney St. in the former home of Louisa May Alcott. While working in East Boston for the Department of Welfare, Ann met her husband Joe who was an attorney at Boston Legal Services. Joe loved Ann’s friendliness and beautiful smile from the start. Shortly after meeting, they had their first date. Two weeks later, they went to a musical and talked about marriage at intermission. Six months later, they were married. On December 20 they celebrated 54 years of marriage with a quiet dinner at home by the fire.
Ann earned both her Bachelor of Arts and her Master of Social Work degrees from Boston University. A dedicated social worker at several hospitals over the years, Ann truly loved helping those in need.
One of Ann’s other great passions was theater. She was a wonderful actress and performed in many productions with Theatre in the Pines in Rockport, the Actor’s Theatre in Nantucket and even performed with the Tower Theatre in London often getting cast as the comedic lead or the Italian mother.
Ann loved to travel. As a young woman, she traveled solo by steamship to Europe for the first of what would be many adventures and trips. In subsequent years, she would plan wonderful trips for her and her husband Joe. Together they traveled throughout Europe, the Caribbean and the United States. She was a dedicated lover of all things French and her trips to Paris and France were particularly special. She brought this love back stateside with her, joining the French Library and starting a side business importing antiques from Paris.
Never a fan of dull moments, Ann loved spending time with friends, reading books, walking, swimming, listening to music, baking and spending time with her children and grandchildren. Rockport held a special place in Ann’s heart and she cherished her time there. She was an avid dog lover and on more than one occasion brought home a stray dog who needed a good home. Ann had a great sense of humor and loved practical jokes. She often played them on her family much to their delight.
Ann leaves behind her devoted and beloved husband Joseph “Joe” Roman. She is survived by her children: Joseph D. Roman and his spouse Natasha Devine Roman of Swampscott; Matthew S. Roman and his spouse Sandra Roman of Wenham; Vanessa Roman and her spouse David Patenaude of West Greenwich, RI; by her grandchildren Sophia Roman, Gabriel Roman, Evangeline Roman, Kaia Roman, Kiernan Roman, Takoda Roman, Samantha Patenaude, Kaitlyn Patenaude and River Roman-Patenaude. Ann is also survived by her brother John Tripodi and his spouse Wilma Tripodi of Richmond, VA and her sister Carol Shea of Jacksonville, FL; her nieces and nephews; her grand-nieces and nephews; and her maternal family relatives in Ohio. Ann was predeceased by her niece Jessica and her nephew Anthony, both of whom she loved very much.
There will be a celebration of Ann’s life held at the Melrose Unitarian Universalist Church, 70 West Emerson St, Melrose on Saturday, January 25 at 11 a.m. with luncheon to follow. Family and friends are invited to join. Arrangements by Gately Funeral Home, 79 W. Foster St., Melrose.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, stjude.org/give.html or Partners in Health, pih.org/donate. Visit gatelyfh.com.
