Rose is my mother-in-law. When this picture was taken she was in her early 90s and attended her granddaughter, Karen's, wedding.
She was born in a small town outside of Scranton in 1914. Her parents had emmigrated to the US during the first decade of the 20thC and were from the most southern tip of Calabria. She had 2 sisters and a brother.
She started me painting after she started taking lessons at the local senior citizens club. I was doing needlepoint, crewel, and counted cross-stitch at the time but never felt that it was very creative. She enjoyed painting cnd did very nice flowers. She was a talented seamstress and a very independent woman. She thought I might like to paint and encouraged me to join her. We eventually took lessons locally from Lynn Pittard and Mary Carole and I took occassional lessons locally. I painted for the next 15 years but my work was barely OK.
When I retired in 2006, I started taking lessons with Roni Browne Katz, a local very good artist. After 5 years with Roni, I can definitely see the difference. I also have concentrated primarily on oils as my medium. I don't do waters or acrylics nearly as well.
Without Mom's encouragement, I never would have picked up a paintbrush.
Rose Milea King died peacefully at home on Monday, October 10, her 97th birthday. Mrs. King was born in Mayfield, Pennsylvania and after living in Scranton moved to Highland Park 67 years ago. She was a member of Saint Paul’s RC Church and the Highland Park Senior Citizens.
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Mrs. King is the daughter of the late Paul and Mary Casali Milea, the wife of the late John C. King, and the sister of the late Angelina Migliori and Mary Reedy. She is survived by her brother, Anthony Milea of Stewartsville, NJ and her children Gerard and Dr. Edwina King of Franklin Twp, NJ; Mary Ellen and Dr. Edward Goracy of Glastonbury, Connecticut; Carolyn and Dr. Frank Lumia of Allentown, NJ; Peg and Joseph Ehrhardt of Hamilton Sq., NJ; Joseph and Mary Anne Malone of the Villages, Florida; and Sylvia and Steven Karlowski. She also has 16 grandchildren: Christine Poscich, John Goracy, Brian Goracy, Rebecca Materazzo, Jennifer Campbell, Jonathan King, Dr. Margaret E Lumia, Joseph Lumia, Dr. Mary Beth Altier, Karen Shubert, Patricia Saddedine, William Miller, Joseph Malone, Celeste Trasky, and Roslyn and Stephen Karlowski, 19 great-grandchildren, a special niece and nephews, Marie Fingerhut and Thomas and Raymond Battaglia, her full-time care-giver, Zena, and a foster daughter, Dorothy Bennett of Florida.