Prof. Rosemary Prisco May 9, 1943 – May 3, 2025, She was born in Providence, the daughter of the late John and Mary Elizabeth ( Nekrewicz) Prisco.
She was the sister of Janice Prisco Fine of Warwick. She was the aunt of Deborah Freedman and her husband David, and the great aunt of Gabriel Freedman.
She also leaves many cousins and countless friends and colleagues.
Prof. Rosemary Prisco joined the Community College of Rhode Island faculty in 1966 and had impacted the lives of scores of students and faculty since retiring in the spring of 2023 after 57 years of teaching.
A full professor since 1983, she was small in stature, but this diminutive woman was a force to be reckoned with. She championed her passions, and the people blessed enough to be called her friends and colleagues with equal zeal.
Her favorite subjects to teach were Introduction to Literature and Composition I. Her classes were infused with information about Japanese Literature, World War I, historical data, the arts, and other topics of which she was an expert. A former department chair at CCRI had written, Rosemary’s philosophy is to “sandwich background material with course content. Her unique combination of arts and travel coalesce into a marriage between college -level writing/ reading skills and the humanities”
She shared her knowledge and expertise from her lifelong quest for knowledge and from her B.A. in English from Salve Regina University, andher four years of doctoral studies in English from Brown.
Although this professor believed strongly in pen-paper -and- lecture-learning, the change to online learning during Covid didn’t stop her from successfully pivoting to be a Distance Learning instructor. She embraced the challenge- embedding readings, videos, and more into her courses’ repertoire of information.
Along with being a dedicated faculty member, her service to CCRI included serving as the Grand Marshall in 2008 and as faculty Marshall in 2007. CCRI recognized her expertise and dedication with the NISOD Award in 2007.
Other recognition included a fellowship with a colleague for “Teaching with Technology” for co-creating a website Rhode Island Women in the Arts. She presented numerous conferences, including co-presenting at the Community College Humanities Association National Conference in San Antonio, Texas. Rosemary attended presentations at Providence College, Temple Emanu-El Institute of Jewish Studies, Providence, Zen Center, Jewish Genealogical Society, Brown University, and CCRI.
A published author, she was the proud editor and contributor to Rhode Island Women Speak, an anthology of Rhode Island women and authors and artists, produced by the Rhode Island Committee and for the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
She was instrumental in establishing the Rhode Island State Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington D.C. and served ten years as president of the state branch. The Rhode Island anthology was the first to be published out of 17 states and seven countries.
Rosemary also shared her time and energy with other notable organizations. She was a past president, vice president, and an executive board member of the Pembroke Club of Brown University, and an appointed member of the Patient Family Advisory Committee of Miriam Hospital. She was also active with NEA. She was a long -time member of the Providence Art Club.
When Rosemary wasn’t working or supporting one of her numerous initiatives, she loved traveling with her sister, visiting Italy, France, Spain, and other countries.
Her funeral will be held Friday, May 9, 2025, at 8:30am from the REBELLO FUNERAL HOME,901 Broadway, East Providence, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00am in Our Lady of Loreto Church, 346, Waterman Avenue, East Providence.
Burial will follow in Gate of Heaven Cemetery, 550 Wampanoag Trail, East Providence. Relatives and friends are invited to attend. Calling hours are Thursday from 5:00pm – 8:00pm in the funeral home
Donations in her memory may be made to Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02215 or to the Miriam Hospital Oncology Department, 164 Summit Avenue Providence, RI, 02906. www.rebellofuneralhomes.com.
