Hessley, Agatha Rossetti, 1906-1994.

Born April 14, 19906, died May 31, 1994. Homemaker. Agatha Rossetti Hessley was born April 14, 1906, the eldest of four children of immigrant Italian parents. She lived with her family in Sheffield, Pennsylvania. When she was 9, her mother died. Agatha became surrogate mother to her younger sister and brothers. Although busy raising her siblings, she graduated as valedictorian of her high school class in 1924. She won a partial scholarship to Penn State but was unable to go to college because her father, a tannery laborer, could not meet the remaining costs. She worked as a clerk and bookkeeper in Sheffield until she married Joseph B. Hessley on January 30, 1929. The couple moved to Warren, Pennsylvania. During her time in Warren she raised three daughters and two sons. Her daughter Rita described her as "a traditional, classic homemaker" although, as her letters demonstrate, her interests ranged beyond those prescribed by her traditional role. When her husband's health began to deteriorate, she lied about her age and was hired by the N.K. Wendelobe Paint Company as their bookkeeper. She worked for the company for 28 years, retiring in 1988. Hessley died on May 31, 1994.