JOSEPH & ROSE ANGELA D'AMBROSIA MEMORIAL FUND
A deep love of God, a sense of duty, strong commitments and follow-through, love of family, love of their church and love for each other–these were the core values for Joe and Rose Angela D’Ambrosia. Consistent with these values, the Joseph and Rose Angela D’Ambrosia Memorial Fund was established to aid children attending St. Ignatius Catholic School.
St. Ignatius Church and the school played a central role in their lives even before they met. Joe was born in Boulder, CO, in April 1915 and moved to Portland with his family in 1920. He attended St. Ignatius School, graduating in 1929. He always valued the education he received at the school. He graduated from Commerce (now Cleveland) High School in 1934. Although it was the depths of the depression, he immediately found a job due to the bookkeeping classes he took in high school (which included typing). Joe worked various jobs before and after WWII, where he served in the Navy in the South Pacific, ending his working life as a locksmith for the Bonneville Power Administration.
Rose Angela was a loyal member of St. Ignatius Parish from her childhood. Born in Portland in 1922, she graduated from Creston Grammar School in 1934 and Franklin High School in 1937. After a brief stint at Reed College, she graduated from Pacific University in Forest Grove in 1943. She worked at the Portland Gas Company (which later became NWNG) as a laboratory technician and later as a medical technician while her first two children were young. When the third child arrived, Rose Angela became a full-time stay at home mom to what became a family of five children.
As young adults, Joe and Rose Angela’s social life included attending St. Ignatius Church and various Church-sponsored activities. In fact, they met at a St. Ignatius-sponsored “Young Adult Club” Bingo game. (Rose Angela used to say she “won Joe at a Bingo game.”) When they married in June of 1951, they were the second couple married in the “new” church (which is now nearly 70 years old!).
There was never any question that their children would attend St. Ignatius School, and although it was a struggle to pay tuition for five children at one time, they managed – because a Catholic education was important. Joe and Rose Angela were proud that all five of their children graduated from St. Ignatius School.
Lifelong members of the Parish, they participated in numerous service organizations and fundraising activities for both the school and the church, including volunteering for the annual Italian Dinner, the Young Ladies Institute, the Holy Name Society, the Catholic War Veterans, and the St. Vincent de Paul Society. When their children attended St. Ignatius, Joe and Rose Angela always purchased several books for the library at the annual Book Fair. After their children graduated, they could always be counted on to sponsor a grandchild or the child or grandchild of a friend in the school’s Annual Jog-A-Thon Fundraiser.
Although Joe’s formal education stopped with his high school graduation, he enjoyed reading all types of books and the daily newspaper; he enjoyed discussing current affairs and philosophy in great detail. Rose Angela was also a reader, and enjoyed nearly every kind of book, from the classics to cozy mysteries.
Their life-long interest in learning infused their children’s upbringing. Joe and Rose Angela were intellectually curious, and they passed this attribute on to their children: summer vacations were spent at state or national parks, going to museums, and always learning something new.
Joe and Rose Angela worked hard, were careful with their money, and made sure to tithe to the church before any other expenses were addressed. But in addition to the contributions made over the years, they wanted to leave behind a gift to the school which played such a big part in their lives.
Joe and Rose Angela recognized that there are many families today who don’t have the ability to pay tuition, but who still value a Catholic education. That’s why they established the Joseph and Rose Angela D’Ambrosia Memorial Fund – to help children to attend St. Ignatius who otherwise could not.
St. Ignatius Church and the school played a central role in their lives even before they met. Joe was born in Boulder, CO, in April 1915 and moved to Portland with his family in 1920. He attended St. Ignatius School, graduating in 1929. He always valued the education he received at the school. He graduated from Commerce (now Cleveland) High School in 1934. Although it was the depths of the depression, he immediately found a job due to the bookkeeping classes he took in high school (which included typing). Joe worked various jobs before and after WWII, where he served in the Navy in the South Pacific, ending his working life as a locksmith for the Bonneville Power Administration.
Rose Angela was a loyal member of St. Ignatius Parish from her childhood. Born in Portland in 1922, she graduated from Creston Grammar School in 1934 and Franklin High School in 1937. After a brief stint at Reed College, she graduated from Pacific University in Forest Grove in 1943. She worked at the Portland Gas Company (which later became NWNG) as a laboratory technician and later as a medical technician while her first two children were young. When the third child arrived, Rose Angela became a full-time stay at home mom to what became a family of five children.
As young adults, Joe and Rose Angela’s social life included attending St. Ignatius Church and various Church-sponsored activities. In fact, they met at a St. Ignatius-sponsored “Young Adult Club” Bingo game. (Rose Angela used to say she “won Joe at a Bingo game.”) When they married in June of 1951, they were the second couple married in the “new” church (which is now nearly 70 years old!).
There was never any question that their children would attend St. Ignatius School, and although it was a struggle to pay tuition for five children at one time, they managed – because a Catholic education was important. Joe and Rose Angela were proud that all five of their children graduated from St. Ignatius School.
Lifelong members of the Parish, they participated in numerous service organizations and fundraising activities for both the school and the church, including volunteering for the annual Italian Dinner, the Young Ladies Institute, the Holy Name Society, the Catholic War Veterans, and the St. Vincent de Paul Society. When their children attended St. Ignatius, Joe and Rose Angela always purchased several books for the library at the annual Book Fair. After their children graduated, they could always be counted on to sponsor a grandchild or the child or grandchild of a friend in the school’s Annual Jog-A-Thon Fundraiser.
Although Joe’s formal education stopped with his high school graduation, he enjoyed reading all types of books and the daily newspaper; he enjoyed discussing current affairs and philosophy in great detail. Rose Angela was also a reader, and enjoyed nearly every kind of book, from the classics to cozy mysteries.
Their life-long interest in learning infused their children’s upbringing. Joe and Rose Angela were intellectually curious, and they passed this attribute on to their children: summer vacations were spent at state or national parks, going to museums, and always learning something new.
Joe and Rose Angela worked hard, were careful with their money, and made sure to tithe to the church before any other expenses were addressed. But in addition to the contributions made over the years, they wanted to leave behind a gift to the school which played such a big part in their lives.
Joe and Rose Angela recognized that there are many families today who don’t have the ability to pay tuition, but who still value a Catholic education. That’s why they established the Joseph and Rose Angela D’Ambrosia Memorial Fund – to help children to attend St. Ignatius who otherwise could not.