Roberta Croce

Roberta "Bobbi" Anne (Gederman) Croce, succumbed to lymphoma at age 72, on October 2, 2013. Born in Providence on March 31, 1941 to Harris M. Gederman and Evelyn (Brisson) Gederman.Loving wife of 51 years to Paul A. Croce, of 664 Third Beach Road, MiddletownMother of Tonia Croce of Newport, Candace Santos of North Kingstown and Paul Croce II of Old Wethersfield, CT, and Mother-in-law to Dawn Croce.Grandmother of Wilson and Sofia Santos, and Thomas and Samuel Croce. Sister of Lynne Merrill of Middletown. Dear friend to Christine McLeod of Narragansett, RI, Pat Fairchild of Ayer, MA, Esther Kennedy of Portsmouth, RI, Diane Croce of Cumberland, RI, Berl Hartman of Cambridge and Gail Bilezerian of No. Smithfield, RI. Bobbi graduated Classical High School and the University of Rhode Island, earning a bachelors degree in mathematics; at URI, she was president of her Alpha Chi Omega sorority, played field hockey and was elected to the prestigious senior honorary society of Sachems.Early in her career, she worked at MIT's Instrumentation Laboratory (now the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory) on the guidance system for the Apollo program. Later, after raising her children, she resumed her career and became Director of Information Security at Boston University, developing the first broad computer security system for the University. In the late 1990s, she was invited to testify on the topic of cyber security at a Presidential Commission on Infrastructure Security. When living in Newton, MA, she was very active in the school PTAs and in the Newton Highlands Neighborhood Area Council, and she was the originator of Village Day in Newton Highlands, which is still celebrated more than 35 years later. In retirement, she became a hospice volunteer for Visiting Nurse Services of Newport and Bristol Counties in Portsmouth. She enjoyed cooking, entertaining, reading, book clubs, painting, hats, gardening, her cars, her Sweetie Pie and her Dory, and especially being Mamie to her grandchildren.Calling hours will be held on Tuesday, October 8 from 6:00-9:00pm in the Memorial Funeral Home, 375 Broadway, Newport, with a remembrance service to be held at 8:00pm.A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, October 9 at 10:00am in St. Joseph's Church, Broadway and Mann Ave, Newport. Committal will follow in RI Veteran's Cemetery, Exeter, RI.In lieu of flowers, please send donations in memory of Bobbi Croce to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 1210 Pontiac Avenue, Cranston, RI 02920. Cemetery Details Rhode Island Veteran's Memorial Cemetery 301 South County Trail Exeter, RI, 02822 Visitation OCT 8. 06:00 PM - 09:00 PM Memorial Funeral Home 375 Broadway Newport, RI, US, 02840 info@memorialfuneralhome.com http://www.memorialfuneralhome.com Visitation OCT 9. 10:00 AM St. Josephs Church Mann Avenue at Broadway Newport, RI, US