Patricia Rohme

Patricia Rohme (nee Jachens) age 73 of the Packanack Lake section of Wayne passed away peacefully on Monday, March 30, 2020 while receiving the loving care of her family.

Patty was born in Englewood, NJ one of three children to Richard and Marianne Jachens. Patricia’s dad was a US Army Officer so Patty and her family moved around quite a bit.  Throughout her life Patty always gravitated back to Bergen County where her extended family lived.  Patty and her mother,  sister and two brothers followed her father to overseas postings  in Heidelberg Germany, Tokyo, and Seoul, South Korea as well as several US assignments.  During one of those assignments Patty obtained her driver’s license at the age of 14 while her family was living in Kansas. It was a skill she spent a lifetime perfecting.

Her father’s next assignment was in Washington DC and while there, Patty attended Yorktown High School in Arlington, VA, graduating with the class of 1964.  Following her high school graduation, Patty attended Douglass College earning her Bachelor’s Degree in English.  Following graduation, Patty went on to Rutgers University where she earned her Master’s Degree in Library Science.

Shortly after earning her Master’s Degree, Patty joined the Reference Department of the Fairleigh Dickenson University library.  Patty held that position for about three years during the early 1970’s then switched to a more dynamic career in the fledging field of corporate video, starting at the in-house studio at Airwick Industries Inc. in Carlstadt.  Airwick Industries was eventually acquired by Reckitt & Coleman Ltd. and moved to Wayne, NJ.  While at Airwick Patty was promoted several times and her responsibilities expanded to include management of the video studio, an in-house print shop and other communications departments.  After a time, Patty accepted a new position in global marketing with Lucent Technologies which eventually became Alcatel Lucent.  Patty remained in that role until her retirement five years ago.  

In the mid 1980’s, Patty had a dear friend and colleague by the name of Harry Rohme.  As fate would have it they fell in love and were married on June 4, 1989.  Patty and Harry remained in Wayne for the rest of their lives together.  

After spending her childhood travelling the world with her family, it was no surprise that Patty treasured traveling.  She and Harry took countless vacations, traveling to a variety of places including Paris, Rome, London, Singapore, Tokyo, Athens, and Prague.  Another of Patty’s lifetime pastimes was the theatre.  A regular customer at the TKTS booth in Times Square,  she would hop on a bus at Willowbrook Mall and attend a matinee at the  drop of a hat.

Without a doubt, Patty will be best remembered for her love of people.  Warm, generous and eternally interested in everyone she met, Patty could walk into a room of one hundred strangers and leave two hours later with 20 new friends.  Patty always downplayed her ease with people saying that it was just the effect of her father’s military career.  She would say that when you move to a new community every two years you either learn to make new friends or you won’t have any friends.  But her friends knew better, Patty was a person other people liked and wanted to be around.  She was a profoundly kind, loyal and endearing woman.  Amid all of Patty’s talents and interests, her greatest passion was for her family.  Nothing in the world meant more to Patty than spending time with her family.  She and her husband Harry cherished more than thirty years of loving and loyal marriage together.  She was a very special person who touched the lives of many people and will be missed by everyone who knew her.

Patty is survived by her husband Harry Rohme of Wayne, her son Daniel Rohme and his wife Linda of Fair Lawn, two grandchildren, Mia Rohme, and Natasha Rohme both of Fair Lawn, four brothers Richard Jachens and his wife Maria of Clifton, Craig Jachens and his wife Lisa of Havre Grace, MD, Charles Sebastian Voigt and his wife Dorothy Jo of Kill Devil Hills, NC, Ric Voigt and his wife Jeannie of Alexandria, VA, one sister, Katie Walsh and her husband David of Jericho, VT, and nine nieces and nephews; Adrian Jachens, Tania Jachens, Brian Jachens, Mary Jane Penn, Sarah Voigt, Katie Voigt, Michael Voigt, Ben Walsh, and Meg Walsh.