IT was anticipated that St. Anne's Parish Church in Southampton would be unable to accommodate the crowd expected to pay last respects to its senior Eucharistic Minister, Mrs. Rosalie Harvey .

So arrangements were made for the overflow to go to the nearby church hall to join in the homegoing service through closed-circuit television. But there was a problem there as well as the hall was almost too small.

There could hardly have been a more fitting tribute to the former school principal, whose life in the words of her rector, the Rev. Michael Davis, was a representation of all that's reflected in petals of a beautiful rose, after which she was known.

Other tributes came from her son, C. Eugene Harvey, and four teachers, Ruth Thomas on behalf of the church family, Sharon Simons for the Gamma Sigma Sigma Sorority, Linda Garrett and Judy James.

Mrs. Harvey's granddaughter, Janita Burke Waldron, a barrister and attorney, delivered the obituary. She noted that Rosalie Eugenie Christopher Harvey was born in the Caribbean island of Nevis on October 3, 1917 to Joseph Theophilus and Catherine Gladys Christopher.

With her parents, she migrated to Bermuda five years later and was educated at Alaska Hall, Central School (now Victor Scott) and Excelsior Secondary School. In 1937, having received a Government scholarship, she travelled to Jamaica to further her education for an additional two years at Shortwood Teachers Training College.

She returned to Bermuda on Christmas Day 1939 during the war and began a career in teaching on New Year's Day, 1940 at Central School where the late Victor Scott was the principal. On September 8, 1943 Rose married Clement McKenzie Harvey and of that union came Eugene, Phyllis, Kendall and Veronica. When Veronica was four, the family was blessed once more with the addition of Philippa, Clement's niece, whom the couple legally adopted after the untimely death of her mother.

During her years as a dedicated educator, Rose taught briefly at Purvis Primary School before resuming her teaching career at Central School in 1961. Never one to rest on her laurels and ever eager to broaden her knowledge, in 1964 she spent a year in Scotland studying new trends in education.

On her return home to the island, she resumed teaching at Central School serving as deputy head under the late Cecil DeCosta. Towards the end of her scholastic career, she served as principal of Elliott School, a post she held until her retirement in 1980.

Although a woman of modest stature, her presence was nonetheless larger than life and profoundly felt as a strict but fair disciplinarian. Her approach to education was to develop strong relationships with parents whom she engaged as collaborators in the educational process.

The deep personal and professional bonds she developed with fellow teachers, parents and students were evident to all throughout her life. It was a former student, Roy Butler, who introduced her to the fascinating world of beekeeping, a hobby she thoroughly enjoyed throughout her retirement.

Rose was a gentle lady not given to excesses. Her much-sought counsel was tempered with compassion and understanding.

a young age, Rose had a relationship with God. She initially attended St. Augustine's Church before moving to Southampton where she joined the St. Anne's Church family. While at St. Anne's, Rose served as a Sunday School teacher, was a long-time member of the vestry and was one of the first female Eucharistic Ministers serving under the Rev. Michael Davis.

Rose's mandate was to serve and this she accepted without hesitation. As such she was a faithful member of the Gamma Sigma Sigma Sorority, the Bermuda Beekeepers' Association and the Shriners' Wives, to name a few.

Known widely for her "green thumb", she had the perpetual ability to bring seemingly lifeless plants back to life and because of this love for fauna she was an active member and past president of the now defunct African Violet Society.

Rose's love for horticulture deepened following her membership with the Botanical Society through which she volunteered as a tour guide at the Botanical Gardens. She was just a natural. She was a pianist, a masterful chef, a proficient seamstress, a beekeeper and a gardener ? you name it , Rose did it. Her talents were as limitless as her capacity to love.

Mrs. Harvey will be missed by her children: C. Eugene Harvey and wife Janette, Philippa Burke, Phyllis Caisey and husband Oliver, Kendall Harvey and wife Pamela, Veronica Harvey and special friend Carneal Smith; grandchildren: Iyabo, Janita (Reuben), Kwame, Vinu, Chinelo, Vashti, Asha; nephew: Elroy Christopher; special canine companions and protectors: Mickey and Spade; and many other relatives and friends.