Gertrude (Rowinski) Cardarelli, 92, was born in Haverhill on Dec. 5, 1925, the daughter of Alexander and Catherine (Bizuer) Rowinski. She was educated in the Haverhill school system, graduating from Haverhill High School in 1943. She and her husband owned and operated Merrimack Industrial Finishes, Inc. of Bradford for over 30 years, whose quality U.S. government spec coatings made it to the moon in the late 1960s on NASA’s Apollo Lunar Landing Module and furnished Raytheon’s MIM-23 medium range, surface-to-air Hawk Missile System. The business was sold in 1974 at which time they retired, spending summers at Hampton Beach.
Cardarelli was very active in the business community in her younger years, being a past member of the Professional Business Women’s Club of Haverhill, the Soroptimist Club of Haverhill and the Haverhill Women’s Club. She was a charter member of the Friends of Merrimack College, the ‘M’ Club of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and a Notary Public. She was also a past member of the Haverhill Music Club, New England Paint and Varnish Association and served on the Advisory Committee of the Don Orione Home in Bradford, as well as numerous other committees in the Haverhill community during World War II.
She was also an active parishioner of the former St. Michael’s Church, where she was president of the Holy Rosary Society and the St. Anne’s Sodality, treasurer of the Finance Committee, secretary of the parish council, parish accountant, church choir soloist and in later years served as a eucharistic minister. Cardarelli leaves behind her son, Dr. Joseph A. Cardarelli Jr., daughter-in-law Darcy Anne, granddaughter Jillian Marie and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband Joseph A. Cardarelli, brothers Joseph Rowinski and Frank Rowinski of Haverhill, sisters, Mary Sharis of Boxford and Sophie Rampulla of Bradford.
At her request, funeral services were privately held on Friday. Arrangements are by the H.L. Farmer and Sons Funeral Homes, Haverhill and Bradford. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in her memory to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or at www.stjude.org.