Rosabelle Gifford, 100, community activist

Rosabelle Gifford, 100, of Radnor, an Irish American deeply devoted to Philadelphian community affairs and her family, died of natural causes on Tuesday, June 16, at her daughter's house in Radnor.

Mrs. Gifford danced and sang at a large party in Haverford marking her 100th birthday last August, and was in "vigorous good health" until the very end of her life, according to relatives.

She was born Rosabelle Blaney in a small town in County Donegal, Ireland, on Sept. 15, 1914, at the start of World War I; she was a young mother in London during World War II. She had five children with her first husband, Edward Harvey, whom she divorced in 1956.

Only schooled until the fifth or sixth grade, she trained as a seamstress before moving to the Philadelphia area to reunite with sisters already across the pond.

After her move in 1958, she met her second husband, an American named Charles Gifford, at a New Year's Eve party. Before his death in 1984, the pair enjoyed taking road trips through the states and eating at diners, according to Rosemarie Kurtz, one of Mrs. Gifford's granddaughters.

"He was a beautiful man who loved her and cherished her," Kurtz said of Charles Gifford, whom she considers her grandfather. "He took the best care of her."

Mrs. Gifford took pride in her work with the Van Pelts, of Radnor, for whom she worked as a nanny from her arrival in America until she was in her 90s.

Her grandchildren considered Mrs. Gifford a mother, according to Kurtz, who lost both of her parents early in life.

"She taught us how to be parents," Kurtz said. "She had a beautiful way of teaching us about children. She was filled with old wisdom."

Mrs. Gifford was unshakably devoted to her large brood of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. As each of her descendants was born, relatives said, she proudly loved each one.

Even in her late 90s, Mrs. Gifford could be found in her backyard, rolling in piles of raked leaves with her grandchildren, or strolling down to "Mom Mom's park" on Cherry Lane in Havertown with a troop of children trailing behind.

In 2009, Mrs. Gifford was the first person to be awarded the Mary O'Connor Spirit Award from the Philadelphia Rose of Tralee Festival, an accolade now given annually to a Philadelphia Irish American woman for showing strength of character and compassion for those around her.

In addition, the Rose of Tralee Center also established the "Rosabelle Gifford Best Dressed Lady Award" in her honor, and in 2010 cited her - along with 11 others, including Grace Kelly - as an "inspirational Irish woman."

Always donning red - her favorite color - and hunting for bargains in high heels, Mrs. Gifford never lost her knack with the sewing machine, her granddaughter said. She made all of her granddaughters' prom dresses by hand.

In addition to her second husband, Mrs. Gifford was preceded in death by two sons, Edward and Frank Harvey; a brother; and five sisters.

Mrs. Gifford is survived by three children, Rosemary McCullough, of Radnor; Kathleen Harshberger, of Radford, Va.; and James Harvey, of Seattle; 13 grandchildren; and 22 great-grandchildren.

A viewing and Funeral Mass were Friday, June 19, at the Church of St. Denis. Burial followed in St. Denis Cemetery.

Donations in Mrs. Gifford's memory can be sent to Donegal Association of Philadelphia, the Irish Center, 6815 Emlen St., Philadelphia 19119, Attn: Financial Secretary.

484-792-1269

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