Beatrice “Bea” Ross

Beatrice "Bea" Ross (nee Toronto), age 91, of Wayne for over forty years, passed away peacefully on Monday, September 30, 2019.

Beatrice was born in the family home at 113 St Joseph Boulevard in Lodi.  She lived in Paterson and graduated from Central High School with the Class of January 1945.  She lived in Haledon before moving to Wayne forty years ago.

Bea worked at the Woolworth’s Store in Paterson in finance and cash management.  She also worked at the Gustav Glaser Co. Inc., a specialty steel manufacturing company, in the Riverside Section of Paterson for twenty- five years in accounting.  Before retiring in 2018 she worked for forty-four years at the Regency Gardens Post-Acute Rehab & Nursing Center in Wayne as office manager and bookkeeper.

Beatrice was commonly known as Bea, Aunt Bea or Miss Bea to just about everyone she knew. She will be lovingly remembered as a private, independent, resilient, dedicated, strong willed, and loving person. You could say she had a glass-half-full attitude and was always focused on the positive side of life. Bea was an awesome cook whose Italian specialties and deserts will be dearly missed. She loved all types of crafts and sewing, music – especially anything Pavarotti, classical music and opera, Turner Classic Movies and Classic Arts Showcase on television.  Bea enjoyed traveling as well with Italy being one of her favorite destinations.  For several years she sang with St. Paul’s Catholic Church Choir and the Masterwork Chorus of Morristown, which performed in New Jersey and at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.

Bea is survived by her loving daughter Jayne M. Ross of Wayne; she was predeceased by her brother Michael J. Toronto and her sister Anna McAuliffe.  Bea was the much-loved aunt to Elinor Toronto Doyle and her husband Christopher of Rockaway and Mickey McAuliffe and his wife Linda of Haskell; she was also the cherished aunt of three great and four great-great nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations to the Wayne Memorial First Aid Squad, PO Box 2004, Wayne, NJ 07474  (clicking on the blue text will link you to the Wayne First Aid Squad donation page) would be greatly appreciated.