Mario 'Mike' F. Rolla

HUBBARDSTON – Mario “Mike” F. Rolla, of Hubbardston, passed away on Monday, December 16, 2013, at Brigham Women’s Hospital in Boston after an illness. Born and raised in Manhattan, Mike was the son of Peter and Irma Rolla and resided in both Hubbardston and Owls Head, Maine for many years.
Mike graduated from Xavier High School in 1948, Pace University in 1952, and from St. John’s University School of Law in 1959, all in New York. He was a managing partner with the law firm, Ronayne, Hackling & Rolla in Manhattan where he worked for 25 years.
He bought interest in various industrial companies throughout the United States. In 1965, Mike purchased Global Steel Products on Long Island, and in 1977 interests in Gem Industries in Gardner. Subsequent, Mike purchased Gem Industries which included Mohawk Furniture, Benson Manufacturing, and Gem South East. He later turned his business interests to regional and national real estate development.
Mike served twenty years on the Board of Trustees at Southern Vermont College in Bennington, eight of which he chaired. His selfless and giving nature goes back to his Xaverian education where he learned at an early age that “To whom much is given, much will be required” (Luke 12:48). He supported and gave his time to a variety of charitable organizations including Gaamha, Inc., where he served on its Human Rights Committee for a number of years. He was member of Holy Cross Church in East Templeton and St. Bernard’s Church in Rockland, Maine.
Mike’s family would like to extend their deepest appreciation to the staff at Dana Farber Cancer Institute for their unwavering acts of kindness and love they shared with their family throughout Mike’s illness.
He is survived and will be lovingly missed by his wife of 16 years, Maureen E. (Dow) Rolla; his son, Peter Rolla and his wife, Mary of Greenwich, CT; his daughter, Adrienna Rolla and her husband, Richard of Greenwich, CT; two stepchildren, Thomas Parker of Keene, NH and Tammy Parker of Castleton, NY; two grandchildren, Isabella and Michael Rolla; and three step grandchildren, Zachary, Cameron, and Kyleigh Parker.
Relatives and friends are invited to honor Mike’s life by attending visiting hours from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, December 20, at the Miles Funeral Home, 1158 Main St., Holden. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Saturday, December 21, at Holy Cross Church, 25 Lake Ave., East Templeton. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Mike’s name to Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 10 Brookline Place West, 6th Floor, Brookline, MA 02445. To share a memory or offer a condolence, please sign the guestbook on this page.