Grace Julia (Girardi) Roth

Grace Julia (Girardi) Roth, 89, beloved Mother, Grandmother and Great Grandmother, passed away on January 4, 2014, with her family by her side, in Newburyport, Mass. Born on May 28, 1924 in Athol, Massachusetts, Grace was the daughter of Josephine and Andrew Girardi, founder of Girardi Distributors.  She was the sister of George Girardi, Margaret Emery, Ruth and Pearl Girardi, all whom predeceased her.  Her husband, Douglas Gourlay Roth, a longtime salesman for Girardi Distributors, predeceased her in 1984. She graduated from Athol High School in 1942 and then Endicott College in Beverly, Mass. She was a member of Our Lady Immaculate Church.   A lifelong resident of Athol, Grace and her sister Margaret were known in town as “The Girardi Girls”, both for their striking beauty as well as for being the life of frequent social gatherings along with their husbands, Doug and Bob, all whom enjoyed their many wonderful friends in town. She and Doug were members of the Ellinwood Country Club as well as the Petersham Curling Club. Grace was an avid card player, and for years she and her friends met weekly for “Bridge Club.” She was also very fond of solitaire and Chinese Checkers, as well as a passion for the N.Y.Times crossword puzzle, which she could easily complete in record time. Grace is survived by her two daughters, Pamela Girardi of Newburyport, and Robin Roth of West Hartford, CT; her beloved grandchildren, Heidi Dube of Amesbury, Mass, and Jesse Girardi of South Boston, Mass; and her two adored great grandchildren, Justin Douglas Dube and Haley Grace Dube.   Grace became affectionately known by her family as “GiGi” when she became a great grandmother six years ago.  She then moved to Newburyport from Athol to be closer to family, and her time there was particularly special for all.  She was visited often by her daughters, her grandchildren and her great grandchildren, enjoying Holiday gatherings and outings.  An avid dog lover, she also delighted in visits with Robin’s dog, Sparky, who always made her smile. Grace loved residing at Atria Merrimack Place and then the Elizabeth Calsey House in Amesbury.  Surrounded by pictures of her family, a deck of cards for solitaire, and tv, she was never without a box of Russell Stover chocolates by her side.  It was her absolute delight to hear a knock on her door and have Pam or Robin or Heidi with her children or Jesse, always with a bouquet of flowers, enter in.   Grace especially loved going on car rides with her family to explore the picturesque seaside community and Historic homes of the Newburyport area, always exclaiming, “I just love New England”.  Among her favorite things was going out to lunch, enjoying a lobster roll or a hot dog followed by an ice cream at the local restaurants, gazing out to a quintessential New England view.   Pam, Robin, Heidi and Jesse wish to sincerely thank the caregivers and staff at Anna Jaques Hospital, Northeast Rehab in Salem, N.H., Dover Center for Rehab in Dover, N.H., and Country Rehab in Newburyport, as well as Wentworth- Douglass Hospice and Merrimack Valley Hospice, who served both Grace and our family with tremendous skill, compassion, dignity and respect.   At the request of the family, services will be private, followed by the interment at Silver Lake Cemetery in Athol.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, www.woundedwarriorproject.org.   Arrangements are by Fiske-Murphy &Mack Funeral Home 110 New Athol Road, Orange.                  $(document).ready(function(){ });