MAY ROSE CECCANESE's Obituary
May Rose Ceccanese was born December 12th, 1925 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Her parents were Fred Shumm of Ohio and Mae Juday of Indiana. She was a person of incredible grace and tolerance who always lived freely and with few regrets. May Rose graduated from North Side High School in 1943 and was the first in her family to go to college graduating with a BA from Concordia University. She was a successful business woman her entire life and a consummate salesperson. She owned two businesses in Fort Wayne. The first was Five Star, a realty company, and the second was Lamps and Shades Unlimited, a lighting store. She loved being in sales and was actively working until she retired and sold her business at the age of 80 and moved to Berkeley California to live with family, but she always missed working until her very last day. May Rose passed away peacefully on July 25th, 2013 surrounded by family and friends, laughter, prayer and song. She was the loving wife of the late Joseph M. Ceccanese, also of Fort Wayne. They had a wonderful marriage that lasted 47 years until his death. She is survived by six children, Connie, Laura, Joe, Marie, Anita and Tony, two sons-in-law, Marcos and Kwebena, one daughter-in-law, Nancy, twelve grandchildren, Barry (deceased), Todd, Angelique, Aaron, Kwaku, Alicia, Kwesi, Adriel, Julian, Amma, Wally, and Isabel, and one great-granddaughter, Rhiannon. Her family always knew how much she treasured them and loved spending Christmas together, a holiday she cherished. May Rose was an integral part of the Unity Church of Fort Wayne where she sat on the board and was active in the Clown Ministry, going by the clown name Floto, bringing joy and comfort to those in need. After she retired to California in 2006, she joined Unity Church of Berkeley, where she served on the board and as a chaplain. Within this church, she had a community of friends with whom she shared faith, love and affection. May Rose was an inspiration to many along the way. She had a generous spirit and never lost her faith, her beauty, or her courage. She was incredibly loved by both her family and her many friends. She was a woman of exemplary class and poise. Her extraordinary zest for life will be missed by all who knew her.
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