CLEARWATER, Fla. — Rose Gourdouros Mourmouras, was born in Biddeford, Maine on June 7,1920, the third oldest of 8.

At the age of 2, the family returned to Skoutari, Greece, a small village on the southern Mediterranean coast. She was married and had her first son, Peter Diakos, at the age of 20. In 1946, she returned to the U.S. with her son, and settled in Saco, Maine with relatives. She remarried in 1949 to Peter P. Mourmouras and had her second son, Peter A. Mourmouras.

She was employed at the Saco Mills for over 20 years as a Fancy Stitcher, where she won numerous awards for her skills. It was well known that once you entered Rose’s home, you would get your fill of the best tasting Greek Village delicacies. In fact, she was in the process of opening a Greek Bakery on Main Street in Saco, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent a radical mastectomy, which derailed her plans.

Undaunted, and with the help of her friends, Katherine Gregory and Jenny Contraros, she began dabbling in real estate until the death of her husband, Peter in 1985. She then retired in 1987 and relocated to the Clearwater, Florida area.

What she treasured the most, was love of family. One of the great highlights of her life was overseeing the marriage of her youngest son (to his wife, Kelly), in her Skoutari Village surrounded by nearly all of her relatives from Greece and the United States. Her life’s passion was that her family would achieve a higher education. She lived long enough to see not only her own sons, but her eldest grandchild, Thomas, graduate from Johns Hopkins University, and her youngest grandson, Patrick, through his Junior year at Duquesne University.

She was deeply religious, and in April, there was a celebration of her life in Tarpon Springs, Florida. In June, there will be a celebration of her life with her family in Greece.

Everyone who knew her and loved her, will remember that no matter what the challenge or hardship that she was presented with, her strength, faith and love would eventually overcome.