RoseMary Kerr Bouvette

RoseMary Kerr Bouvette died peacefully and entered into eternal life on Wednesday January 17, 2018. Born November 24, 1926, she was the daughter of Basil Rahall and Anna Theresa Tully Kerr. RoseMary is preceded in death by her husband Johnny and daughter Rosanne. She was a dedicated and loving mother to eight children, Jéanne Risey (John), Rosanne Shealey, Johnny Bouvette (Susan), Theresa Sloop (Rick), Evangeline Johnson (Dennis), Pierre Bouvette (Michelle), Robyn Abel (Charles), and Angela Pope (Chad). She was “MaeMee” to 23 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren and was a loyal, caring, and compassionate sister, aunt, and friend.
RoseMary loved her native Charleston and was a passionate historian and patriot. She attended Sacred Heart Grammar School, Bishop England High School ’43, St. Francis Xavier School of Nursing ’46 and Medical University of South Carolina inaugural Physician Assistant Program. She remained an active member of her alumni and professional organizations.
RoseMary was a highly respected Registered Nurse and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in Charleston County for over 40 years and received South Carolina’s “Excellence in Practice Award” for her dedication and innovation in nursing. She helped establish best practices in surgical nursing in the 1950s, innovative outpatient diabetic care programs in the 1970s, and established standards in outpatient care of children and families through the Charleston County Health Department until her retirement in 1989.
A devout Catholic, RoseMary was a charter and lifelong parishioner of The Church of the Nativity. She served faithfully on the Nativity Parish School Board, participated in numerous ministries including the Ladies Guild, Small Faith Prayer Group, and was a catechist for children and adults. She was recognized as Catholic Woman of the Year for the diocese of Charleston for her hard work and dedication with these ministries.
She served with her longtime friend, Mayor Joseph P. Riley on the Charleston Uptown Revitalization Committee and as 2003 President of the South Carolina Irish Historical Society.
She was a community leader for the Head Start program, the Association of Democratic Women, a home health care professional, and managed her family’s Real Estate Business for over two decades.
An amazing woman and example of Christian Charity to those less fortunate, RoseMary was known, loved by, and will be missed by many. Her family is grateful to the staff and administration of Bishop Gadsden Retirement Community for doing God’s work through their dedication, compassion, love and care for the aging, and those living with dementia.
Visitation will be held Friday, January 19th 5:00pm -7:30pm at the McAlister-Smith Funeral Home 347 Folly Road. A Mass of Christian Burial and celebration of RoseMary’s life will be held at The Church of the Nativity, 1061 Folly Road, James Island at 2:30pm on Saturday, January 20th. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, Fort Johnson Rd., James Island. Flowers are appreciated or in lieu of, donations to the Nativity Parish Life Center Fund. Arrangements have been entrusted to McAlister-Smith Funeral Home James Island. To leave a condolence, or share a memory please visit www.mcalister-smith.com.