Frederick Martin Rosseland

Notes:

Mr. Frederick M. Rosseland Jr. passed away peacefully on July 25, 2010 surrounded by his family. His long, accomplished life began in 1918 when he was born in Chicago, Ill. to Frederick and Editha Farnsworth Rosseland. He was raised in Short Hills, N.J., and met the love of his life Laila Raabe while he was performing in a play in nearby Madison. He went on to graduate from Drew University in 1940 and enlisted in the Navy in 1941, serving on the USS Boise in Pearl Harbor and the Pacific during the war, later working at the Portsmouth Naval Yard. While on leave in 1944 he married Laila (Lee) and finally resigned from the Navy in 1947, soon after the birth of their first child, Susan. Fred eventually was employed by the New England Tel & Tel., a job which moved him to several locations, including Melrose, in the early years of his marriage. Daughters Carol and Jill were born when the family lived in Rhode Island, and in 1955 they settled in Melrose permanently. Fred worked his way up to Executive Secretary of the Benefits department of NET&T, until he retired in 1981. His greatest joys came from family, music, and a long life of service to others. A gifted singer and musician on piano and accordion, Fred accompanied, led and performed in events, choirs, shows, and sing-alongs for most of his 91 years. From accordion playing for campfire songs at Camp Wulamat to piano accompanying for years of historical fashion shows for Morgan Memorial, to his latest gigs as part of the Brooksby Village Irregulars band, Fred was always happy with his fingers on the keyboard. Fred was a very active member of the Melrose Highlands Congregational Church and the MHCC Senior Choir for over 50 years. Among many community commitments, he was a member of the NET&T Pioneers and the Melrose Community Players, and he was a past leader and early organizer of several civic organizations, including Melrose Interfaith, Melrose Council on Aging, Melrose Friends of the Aging, and Melrose F.I.S.H. As a volunteer for F.I.S.H. he drove people to doctor and other appointments for over 35 years, and in 2001 he was a humble recipient of the first Melrose Volunteer of the Year award. In that same year, Fred and Lee moved to Brooksby Village in Peabody, where he made many new friends and was best loved for his piano playing and cheerful nature. In the latter years of his life Fred was gradually slowed by Parkinsons Disease, but it never stopped him from loving life, sharing his music and humor, or visiting friends homebound and hospitalized. Fred is missed greatly by his wife Laila (Lee) R. Rosseland, devoted father of Susan Farnsworth of Hallowell, Maine, Carol Rosseland and husband John Egan, of Melrose, and Jill Rice and husband Rob Rice, of Bristol, Maine; beloved grandfather of Katherine Egan of Cambridge, Mass. and Molly Egan of Hilliard, Ohio; loving brother of Dorothy McPhaul of Dallas, Texas, and the late Margaret Van Dyk of Albuquerque, N.M.; much loved Uncle Bud to his niece and nephews and their families. Also survived by his extended family of Camp Wulamat, Bristol, N.H. Visiting hours will be at the Robinson Funeral Home, 809 Main St., Melrose on Wednesday, July 28 from 5-8 p.m. Services to celebrate his life will be held Sunday, August 1, at 11:30 a.m. at the Melrose Highlands Congregational Church, 355 Franklin St., Melrose, and at 3:30 p.m. at Brooksby Village Chapel, Brooksby Village Dr., on Rte. 114, Peabody, Mass. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Melrose Highlands Congregational Church Remembrance Fund, Brooksby Village Protestant Faith Community, or the National Parkinson Foundation, P.O. Box 5018, Hagerstown, MD 21741.

Frederick married Laila Jean Raabe in 1944 in New Jersey, USA. Laila was born on 3 Feb 1923 in New Jersey, USA; died on 30 Mar 2019 in Melrose, Massachusetts, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Susan Rosseland was born in 1947.
2. Carol Rosseland was born in in Rhode Island, USA.
3. Jill Rosseland was born in in Rhode Island, USA.

Frederick married Editha Farnsworth on 15 Sep 1913 in Algonac, Michigan, USA. Editha (daughter of Frank Hickey Farnsworth and Isabella Metcalfe) was born on 17 Jul 1889 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Frank married Isabella Metcalfe on 14 Oct 1880 in Michigan, USA. Isabella was born in Jan 1860 in Kentucky, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Leander married Frances Higgins on 17 Apr 1848 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. Frances (daughter of Sylvester Wesley Higgins and Lucinda Irene Beckwith) was born on 12 Jan 1828 in New York, USA; died on 28 Jan 1910 in Detroit, Michigan, USA; was buried in Elmwood Cemetery, Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]