Terry Ann (Ellis) Roberge, 77
WAREHAM – Terry Ann (Ellis) Roberge, 77, of Wareham, passed away on May 21, 2025, at Mary Ann Morse Rehabilitation & Nursing Center, Natick. She was the wife of the late Wilfred Roberge and the daughter of the late Robert Milton and Ann Faye (Wallace) Ellis.
She was born in Wareham and lived there her whole life. She graduated from Wareham High School, class of 1965 and from Wilfred Academy in Boston.
She would fondly recall growing up in Onset on Riverside Drive. Playing on the beach and walking to school in Onset. Her family moved to Marion for a year while her parents built their house on Cromesett Road. While in High School, she embarked on many adventures. She spoke about buying her first car, an old Thunderbird, for $25. and if she took it that day, getting it for only $20. Driving that car to New York to visit her aunt and uncle and cousins.
She was a hard worker. She did whatever she could to earn money to save for her future while in school, including selling popcorn at Viking’s Football games. She worked at the counter of Murial’s during high school as well, saving enough to pay her way to Hairdressing School in Boston.
After finishing her education in Boston and working for a time at a Salon on Newbury Street, she returned to home Wareham. She worked at a Salon on Route 6 in Marion, until she purchased her own Salon on Main Street in Wareham. She owned and operated Terry’s Hair Fashions during the 1970s, eventually stepping back as she started her family.
It was during the 1970s gas crisis that she met her husband, Wilfred. She was trying to conserve gas by riding her bicycle to work, and he asked if she wanted to “race” him on his motorcycle. They eloped in Las Vegas on July 4th, 1976. They started their family in 1978, welcoming a daughter, Ann. Soon to follow in 1979, Wilfred. Nicholas rounded out the family in 1981.
As her children grew, Terry became interested in antique postcards and vintage cranberry labels, buying and selling them throughout the region. She decided to make business cards and did some mail order business with clients all over the U.S. as Terry’s Treasures.
After her husband died unexpectedly in 1990, Terry pushed forward. She did everything to raise her children and see that they never went without. They may not always have had what they wanted, but always what they needed. She took them on road trips to Lake George to see family and drove to Florida. She took them on bus trips to New York City and encouraged them to have various adventures along the way.
She also went to Connecticut occasionally to go to the casino. She met and became good friends with Debbie Tam, and Joan Chin. She traveled with them on different cruises throughout the world.
Terry was a “Townie”. Everyone knew her from one of her jobs, the purple dune buggy she drove during the summer in the 1980s, or from one of her other local ties. Terry went on many adventures with her dear friend, Susan “Susie” Coville. Driving down to visit her in the winter in Florida. She would go out to lunch and reminisced with Maureen Grant. She chatted on the phone daily with her children. In the last couple of years, she would often be seen walking downtown to see what was going on in nice weather.
Her last job was “the best job” if you asked her. She drove the ice cream truck for Perry’s Last Stand. She would tell anyone that would listen how she enjoyed cruising around town, finding all the “hot spots” to sell ice cream and talking to little kids. She would often say she wished she could still do it.
She was a member of St. Patrick’s Church. She enjoyed collecting, going on adventures, local history and a hot cup of coffee. She collected different China patterns, pig figurines, pink flamingos, and local postcards, but she really collected people. She kept in touch with many over the years. She had the innate ability to talk to anyone, whether she had been in school with you, her children had been in school with you or your children or she just met you in line at the grocery store. She was a person of the people. Over the years, she has formed many lasting friendships.
She was tough and strong raising her children, as she was doing it on her own. But without the stress of being the sole responsible party and having to keep everyone in-line, with her grandchildren, we got to see the softer side of her. She would read to her grandchildren and get down on the floor to play with them. She attended as many of their extracurricular activities as she could, from tea-parties in preschool, to concerts, science fairs, football games, and plays. She was there to support her grandkids. She regularly sent them little cards for milestones in their lives and sometimes just to say hello.
In 2016, she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and fought it with single-minded determination with the help of Dr. Victor Aviles and his team at Hematology & Oncology Specialists of Cape Cod. She did not let that slow her down, she was back in the ice cream truck the following summer.
Recently, she had a brief illness and went to Mary Ann Morse Rehab to get stronger and fast became a staff favorite. She would bring a smile to their faces regaling them with her stories of her many adventures.
Survivors include her daughter, Ann Berringer and her husband, Jonathan of Framingham; 2 sons, Wilfred Roberge of Brockton and Nicholas Roberge and his wife, Nicole of Wareham; an aunt, Millie Wallace of Cape Coral, FL; 7 grandchildren, Jack and Avery Berringer; Luke, Brooke, Emily, Ryan, and Grant Roberge; her brother and sisters-in-law, Paul Roberge of Grafton, Rose Hogan of Hopkinton and Diane McDermott of Raymond, NH; Katherine “Penny” Ellis of Wareham; many nieces and nephews, she was especially close to Matt Costa of Greenfield . She was the sister of the late Robert M. Ellis, Jr. and Linda M. Ellis. She was preceded in death by her sisters and brothers-in-law, Joseph Roberge, Joy Roberge, Margaret “Lorraine” Roberge, Raymond “Butch” Roberge, and Arthur Hogan; aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.
She was a strong confident woman. Fiercely independent. A mother, grandmother and friend. She will be missed by many.
Visiting hours are from 4 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at Chapman Funerals & Cremations –WAREHAM, 2599 Cranberry Hwy., Wareham.
Her funeral will be held at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, from the funeral home, followed by a Funeral Mass at 10:00 a.m. in St. Patrick’s Church, 94 High St., Wareham. Burial will follow in St. Patrick’s Cemetery.
Donations in her memory may be made to Mary Ann Morse Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, 45 Union St., Natick, MA 01760 or to
Hero’s Transition, Inc., 22 Bates Rd., Suite 135, Mashpee, MA 02649 or to
Hematology & Oncology Specialists of Cape Cod, 26 Edgartown Dr., Suite A, North
Falmouth, MA 02556.
For more information or to share a message of condolence, visit: www.chapmanfuneral.com.