Roma “Auntie Rose” McCarthy, who could silence a room with her legendary snoring that rivaled a motorcycle engine, passed away on March 3, 2025, in Camberley, Surrey, England, after a long illness. She was 83 years young and probably reading The National Enquirer right until the end.

Known affectionately as Auntie Roma, she burst into the world on March 11, 1941, in Portsmouth, born to Phyllis and Norman. Her early years in Portsmouth were marked by an intense love of sports, particularly hockey, which she played for Portsmouth Southern Grammar School – though she was known to claim she could have gone professional if it weren’t for that pesky need to be “independent.”

Her adventurous spirit led to many memorable escapades, including an impromptu trip to Scotland to secure a visa (details of which remained delightfully mysterious) and a rather unconventional courtship involving a hat pin and a bar of soap with her late husband, Mike. She served as a bridesmaid at their wedding, a role she reportedly took very seriously – at least until the reception.

A true globetrotter, Auntie Roma’s adventures took her from Disney World to San Francisco, where she made lifelong friends and managed to get spectacularly lost in MacArthur Park – a story she loved to tell over her favorite Wagamama’s curry. Her only known kryptonite? Meghan Markle, whom she’d critique while devotedly watching Fox News.

As the self-proclaimed “axel of the family,” Auntie Roma had an uncanny ability to draw people together, though perhaps not while she was sleeping – her infamous snoring kept everyone else wide awake. Her wit was as sharp as her kindness was boundless, making her the go-to person for both brutal honesty and warm hugs.

She is survived by her son Dan and daughter-in-law Mary, her brother Alan, and two grandchildren who undoubtedly inherited her mischievous spirit. She was predeceased by her husband Mike and her parents, Phyllis and Norman.

A celebration of life worthy of Auntie Roma’s vibrant spirit will be held at Portsmouth Football Club (her favorite team’s home ground) on May 10th, 2025, at 1pm. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests sharing your funniest “Auntie Roma story” – there are bound to be many.

As she would have wanted, we’ll remember her not for the times she made us cry, but for the countless times she made us laugh until we did.