Rosa Mae (Duncan) Reed peacefully left this world and went to be with her Lord on Sunday, February 21, 2010 after a gallant seven month battle with lung cancer and its complications. The family wishes to thank UMASS Memorial Hospice for providing her with excellent and loving care.

    Rosa Mae was born on April 29, 1923 in Gueydan, Louisiana the first child of Oza Louis and Rosa (Lyons) Duncan. She leaves behind three sisters, Roxie Hill, Pearl Bougeard and Neva Wiseman as well as six brothers, Isaac Duncan, Aaron Duncan, William Duncan, Wayne Duncan, Denver Duncan and Virgil Duncan. She was predeceased by a brother, Oza "Buddy" Duncan and a sister, Dolores Kinsey.

    Rosa Mae married her husband, George A. Reed, on September 27, 1947 in Louisiana before moving with him and their infant son, Edward G. Reed, to Massachusetts in 1949. After living in Holden for awhile, the family settled on Thompson Pond in Spencer in 1960. She worked for many years as office manager and bookkeeper for her husband and his business partner at their sheet metal fabrication shop, Rawson Manufacturing, Inc. in Worcester.

    An avid and talented gardener, Rosa Mae enjoyed tending her flower beds and making award-winning arrangements with the flowers that she had grown. She also enjoyed quilting for a time and had made many beautiful quilts that she designed and usually hand-stitched until she had to put down her sewing needles due to losing her eyesight to glaucoma.

    Rosa Mae was known as being a kind, warm, generous, caring soul, as well as a mighty Prayer Servant, who did whatever she could to reflect the light of her Lord without calling any attention to herself as she did it. She was an active, loving, giving member of Hillside Baptist Church in Spencer.

    "Nana" Reed is survived by her son, Edward Reed and his wife Susan; her grandson, Joshua Reed and his wife Melanie; her granddaughter, Kathryn Reed; and by her daughter, Rosemary Reed, with whom she lived. She is also survived by her dearly loved great-grandson, Camden Reed; as well as many nieces and nephews. Her beloved husband, George Albion Reed, predeceased her March 9, 1993.

    A private funeral service for family members will be held on Friday Feb. 26, 2010. Burial will follow in Worcester County Memorial Park, Paxton. A memorial service to celebrate Rosa Mae's life will be held on Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 10:30 AM at Hillside Baptist Church, 472 Main Street, Spencer.

    Before her death, Rosa Mae specifically requested that people make donations "To give something back to others" in lieu of flowers. Donations may be made to: The Perkins School for the Blind, Perkins Trust Office, 175 North Beacon Street, Watertown, MA 02472; or The Peter Levine Cancer Center, c/o UMASS Medical School/UMASS Memorial Development Office, P.O Box 2795, Worcester, MA 01613-9938; or Hillside Baptist Church, P.O Box 66, Spencer, MA 01562.