Rosaleen Mary O'Leary was farewelled last Friday. Photo / Supplied
Rosaleen Mary O'Leary was farewelled last Friday. Photo / Supplied
Rosaleen Mary O'Leary (Rose) was born on January 5, 1934 and died on June 18 this year, aged 87.
In the 1960s in the Whangaehu Valley, Rose and Charlie O'Leary started their family with two single babies close together, as many parents did in those days.
Then 14 months later bonnie twin girls arrived – creating a busy farming household of four little ones under the age of 3.
Months later, between washing loads of nappies and mashing up baby food, Rose took a phone call from the well-known Whanganui obstetrician and general practitioner Dr Mollie Christie, saying she wanted to meet with Rose and Charlie in town.
Worried what the news could be, they bundled their children off to relations and went to the meeting.
Rather than bad news, an excited Dr Christie broke the news that an earlier Xray had shown Rose was now expecting triplets.
All care was taken in the later stages of the pregnancy but one of the three little boys did not survive. So twin boys joined the household of now six children under the age of 4.
Sisters and sister-in-law pitched in, at a time before paid government support for multiple births, paid parental leave, disposal nappies, wet wipes and widely available pre-made baby food.
The six children thrived and a few years later Rose was assured by a new GP that she was expecting another singleton.
Rose wasn't convinced and became increasingly sure another set of twins was on the way despite only one heartbeat being detected.
During the labour one of the staff was asked to bring an incubator and Rose said "you'd better make that two". And a third set of twins duly joined the family.
Last Friday in Whanganui, all but one of those children lifted their mother shoulder-high in a dark green coffin to carry her from St Mary's Church after a packed congregation had heard of a rich, fulfilling and remarkable life, lived doing the ordinary things of marriage, motherhood, and wider family life with extraordinary passion, resilience and commitment.
Rose and her seven O'Hara siblings had spent their young years in Fordell.
In the 1960s in the Whangaehu Valley, Rose and Charlie O'Leary started their family. Photo / Supplied
However, tragedy struck when Rose was only 7, when her mother died, followed two years later by their father, who had been working on the Turakina–Okoia railway deviation.
Rose was sent to live with a single uncle in Whakatāne, then later a Catholic convent in Otaki before coming back to Whanganui to go to secondary school at Sacred Heart College.
She lived and was cared for by her older siblings, supported by the kindness of food and second-hand clothing parcels.
Rose's brothers went on to became well known in the region for the O'Hara's concrete business.
When Rose met and married Whangaehu farmer Charlie O'Leary she moved out to the valley and raised Peter, Katherine, Pauline, Helen, Charles, Daniel, James and Joanne (the only child who couldn't be at the funeral in person, and watched the service on screen in the early hours in London, prevented by Covid from a fast trip home).
The family are well known in Whanganui, striving first in school and sport and on to various careers and bringing 14 grandchildren into the family and to Rose's delight another set of twins.
