Obituary of Rosalie Mary Little

Our beautiful mother, Nanny Rose, great-grandmother, great-great grandmother and second mother to everyone who needed her, Rosalie Little has begun her journey to the land of the ancestors. Born July 26, 1943 in Spotted Islands, Labrador she was the youngest child of the late Rhoda Boutilier and Barton Webber.

Rose spent her first 8 years living in Labrador with her parents and siblings before moving to Louisburg, Cape Breton where she spent most of her adolescent years. She worked at the St. Ritas hospital before meeting her first love Leo Gerrior with whom she went on to have 6 children, living in Ontario, Annapolis Valley, Halifax and later settled in Hopewell, NS for the next 53 years. After the sudden passing of her first husband in 1972, she went back to school obtaining her grade 12 and received a clerical certificate and worked at Valley View Villa for several years. During that time she met her second husband, Joe Little with whom she had her seventh child. 

Rosalie chose to live her life caring about others and helping everyone she could with acceptance, kindness and love. She was very involved in her community and enjoyed being a leader in scouts, teen time dances, a eucharistic minister at Lourdes church, taught catechism, was a PKU advocate and fundraiser hosting a book sale every year to raise money and awareness and donated her time volunteering with the Pictou County Help Line.

As a residential school survivor, she was a spiritual person who reconnected with her heritage and spent the rest of her life embracing it. She wanted to learn, educate and share her knowledge with others. She enjoyed presenting at the Cody Institute and attending the Peace and Friendship gatherings at the Tatamagouche Center. Her greatest passion was working with children and teaching them about the Indigenous culture.

She is survived by her six children; Nina Gerrior (Dan) Calgary Alb, Cathy Gerrior-Grant (Stephen) Hopewell, NS, Paula Gerrior (Sterling) Pictou Landing, NS, Leo Gerrior (Jean) Kings Head, NS, Carol Wall (Daniel) Wetaskiwin, Alb and Jolene Little (Jason) Central North River, NS. Seventeen grandchildren Leanne, Johna, Josh, Wanda, James, Stevie, Jacolbi, Matt, Thomas, Leah, Charlee, Josh, DJ, Cory, Bailey, Braden and Madison, Nineteen great grandchildren, three great-great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. She is also survived by her sister, Laura Kennedy, Little Lorraine, NS.

She was pre-deceased by her first husband, Leo Gerrior, her second husband, Joe Little, her brothers, Alex Webber, Abe Webber, Jim Webber, Ken Webber, Wilfred Webber, Johnny Webber, Herb Webber, Eric Webber, Robert Kennedy and her sister Lillian Keats.

We would like to thank the special staff at Ivey's Terrace, the VON, the palliative care and the emergency room teams at the Aberdeen Hospital for taking care of our beautiful mother.

There will be a visitation at the Eagles Funeral Home on Wednesday October 16th from 7-9pm, a second viewing Thursday October 17 from 12-2pm with a public funeral at 2pm. There will be a family burial at the Immaculate Conception Parish Cemetery in Main-A-Dieu, Cape Breton, NS at a later date.