Our family would like to honor the life of our mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother, Rosella May Galbraith who lived life to the fullest for 101 – almost 102 – years until her passing on November 14, 2022.
Rosella lived her whole life in the Devlin area and cultivated a love for farming at a young age as it was her responsibility to tend the cows and other animals on her grandmother’s farm. There were also turkeys but she said she disliked tending to them.
As a teenager, Rosella enjoyed music, singing and dances. At sixteen she first met a young man named Albert.

AN EXCERPT FROM ROSELLA’S MEMOIRS; “In the summer of 1937, I started going with Albert Darrah who was working on the railroad in Barwick and was driving his own car without a top ‘open air’ we called it. He started driving by our place and started calling in, I guess he had his eye on me. We dated until we were married May 24, 1939.”
Albert and Rosella worked hard on their family farm and together raised four sons and one daughter until Albert’s sudden passing in 1970. Now a widow, Rosella pursued her school bus license as a source of income, but she was grateful for the help she received from family, friends and neighbours to keep the farm going. In 1972, she married Allan Galbraith and together they
continued farming and driving school buses. Driving the school bus was very rewarding, she often spoke of “Her Kids” in turn, “Her Kids” often spoke of the “Yodeling Bus Driver” as she became affectionately known. Music was always a part of Rosella’s life and she could be counted on to play the piano or accordion and she did so obligingly with expressive eyebrows and a bright smile on her face.
After Allan’s passing in 2005, Rosella continued living at their home in Devlin. She was strong willed and stubborn, even into her late 80’s she could be seen hoeing in the garden early in the morning, weeding her beautiful flower beds or feeding her birds and of course this would all be done in her bare feet.
Because she started her life with little means she was always grateful and appreciative of what she had, this was evident in the way she treated people. Whether you knew Rosella for your whole life or only a few short days, you received the same genuine kindness and love as her own family, affectionately being called “Her Boy” or “Her Girl” and always being welcomed with a warm embrace. Friendships were important to Rosella and she always made an effort to keep in touch by letters or phone calls, she really enjoyed a good chin wag. In her later years, Rosella found reading to be one of her favourite pastimes and could often be found with a book in her hands. She especially enjoyed reading the Bible, as her life centred around her faith and love for her creator Jehovah.
She will be greatly missed but fondly remembered by all her family and friends; her children Leo and Nicole, Velina and Steve, Leonard and Candice, Martin and Twyla; as well numerous grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
Rosella was predeceased by her loving husbands; son Sidney; and five grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held on the Zoom app.and announced at a later date.
Arrangements entrusted to Northridge Funeral Home Ltd., Emo, Ontario.