Rose Anne Duffin Concannon of Marshfield passed away peacefully on January 9 at the age of 83, after an extended illness. She leaves behind five profoundly grateful children, 14 grandchildren who love her deeply, a sister who says Rose Anne was the funniest person she has ever met, a sister-in-law who is the funniest person Rose Anne ever met, and an abundance of cherished, loyal friends. Rose Anne was predeceased by Brian, her loving husband of 47 years, her parents Thomas and Eileen and her sister Eileen.

Rose Anne grew up in the Savin Hill neighborhood of Dorchester, with her sisters Debby and Eileen, playing sports and excelling in school. After graduating from Boston State Teachers College, she taught English in the Boston Public Schools before starting her family.

Rose Anne, Brian and growing family moved to Marshfield in 1965. She presided over a welcoming house that was a center of neighborhood activity. Rose Anne invariably offered nutritious food, encouragement and wisdom (but no daytime TV) to any kid who crossed the threshold.  She spent summers at Humarock Beach, interrupted by annual family camping trips and Labor Day with the McCarthy family in Maine. She skied in the winter and played intensely competitive tennis year-round. Rose Anne never had a bicycle as a child but learned to ride in her 40s to join Brian and in-laws Maureen and Jim Halligan on cycling adventures in the U.S. and Europe that featured long rides and generated even longer stories. She loved travel, especially to visit her sister Debby in France. She always had a novel handy, and loved talking about literature in book clubs and casual conversation. Rose Anne was an excellent cook, always using fresh, healthy ingredients, whether it was a busy weekday family meal or one of the legendary monthly Gourmet Club gatherings.

Rose Anne was active in the community, coaching softball and the Marshfield High tennis team, serving as Parish Councilor and Eucharistic Minister at St. Christine's Church, joining the Marshfield Cultural Council and volunteering at the South Shore Resource and Advocacy Center as an advocate for survivors of domestic violence.

When the last of her five children fledged off to college, Rose Anne's experience with domestic violence advocacy and her life-long commitment to equality impelled her to fill the empty nest with law textbooks and notebooks. She enrolled--at age 50--at New England School of Law. After graduation Rose Anne joined her husband's law practice, Concannon Law Offices. Rose Anne focused on family law matters, often representing women who could not afford a lawyer. When Brian came into her office to complain that she was not bringing any money into the practice, Rose Anne would glance at the photos of the five children she had raised for him (all of whom inspired to public service careers by her example), shake her head, and get back to working on a case for a client who needed her help.

Rose Anne's kindness, loyalty, humor and broad intellectual interests helped her make life-long friends in the neighborhood, broader community, tennis, book club, Gourmet Club, law school and elsewhere. Her family is grateful for all of her friends' efforts to bring light into Rose Anne's life during her illness. They are also grateful for the skilled and kind caregivers, at Bridges in Pembroke, Proprietor's Green, Beacon Hospice, ComforCare and Mass. General Hospital.

Rose Anne is survived by:  her children-- Heather Stoelting (husband David) of Brooklyn; Brian Jr. (wife Marcy Strazer) of Marshfield; Tom (wife Angie) of Jackson, WY; Hope Comerford (husband John) of Williamsville, NY; and Kate Pimentel (husband Eric) of Fairhaven, MA;  her grandchildren--Nora, Lily and Neil Stoelting; Liam, Brian Casey, Aidan, Ofelia and Fiona Comerford; Desmond and Peter Concannon; Declan and Caleb Pimentel; and Evan and Georgia Concannon; her sister Deborah Kopacz (husband William) of Paris, France and her sister-in-law Maureen Halligan of Staten Island, NY.

Visiting hours will be held on Sunday, January 14, 2024 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the MacDonald Funeral Home, 1755 Ocean Street in Marshfield. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday, January 15 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Christine Parish Church, 1295 Main Street (Rte. 3A) in Marshfield.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Rose Anne's memory to the South Shore Resource and Advocacy Center or the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti

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