Viola is survived by her daughters Colleen Kerr Fiorille (George) and Deborah Kerr-Rosenbeck (James). She has 5 grandchildren: Justin Rosenbeck (Sarah), Robert Seeloff (Leah), Michael Rosenbeck (Chelsey Cratsley), Stephen Rosenbeck (Amber Jasinski) and Rhett Seeloff. She also was blessed with 6 great grandchildren. She is also survived by her brother Harold’s wife and high school classmate, Ruth (Maxwell) Oakes and several, nieces and nephews.
Viola had several different jobs throughout her life beginning with a part time job at a local greenhouse near her childhood home. We attribute her love and knowledge of flower gardening to this early experience. She spent some time employed in the office at the Lockport canning factory and doing seasonal tax preparation work for a local accountant. Viola was a dedicated stay at home mom until the passing of her husband when she was just 39 years old. Her previous accounting experience led to a career as the Fiscal Officer at the Lockport Housing Authority where she managed the budget for 20 years until her retirement. In retirement she was an active volunteer at the Lockport Senior Center and Niagara Hospice.
Her grandchildren and friends remember her best for her baking and weekly batch of all different cookies. She is most noted for her cutout cookies which she made at every major holiday including Valentine’s Day. Viola was an avid traveler and visited Alaska, Africa, the Philippines, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. She loved to tell the story of how she slept on the deck of the ship on her windjammer cruise in the Caribbean.
There will be no prior calling hours. A Celebration of Life gathering will be held at a future date.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established in Viola’s name at Crossroads House www.crossroadshouse.com PO Box 403 Batavia, NY 14021. To leave a message of condolence please visit www.gilmartinfuneralhome.com or for more information call (585) 343-8260. Arrangements completed by Gilmartin Funeral Home & Cremation Company, Inc. 329-333 West Main Street Batavia, New York 14020.
