Rose Allessio (née Corrado), the centenarian matriarch of the Allessio family, born June 19, 1922 at 20 Ellison Street, Paterson, NJ, died peacefully in the early evening, surrounded by family at her bedside, December 29, 2023, in North Haledon, NJ. She was 101.

Beloved daughter, sister, aunt, wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, Rose shepherded multiple generations over the course of a century through her example of sacrifice, beneficence, and piety. Rose was the eldest born to parents Pietro Corrado and Domenica Corrado (née D’Amelio). Rose was the first in her family born in the United States of America after her parents had recently emigrated from Sala Consilina in the province of Salerno, Italy. Her sister Jennie Belluardo (née Corrado), brothers James Corrado and Anthony Corrado, followed.

Raised in Hawthorne, NJ, Rose’s outlet from a young age was the library, fostering her lifelong passion for reading. She also possessed a particular proclivity for calculating numbers. Recognizing her own talent, she enrolled as a young woman in a night school course for bookkeeping. The initiative resulted in early opportunities in accounting departments, and later, allowed her to play a pivotal role in family businesses.

She married her husband, Joseph Allessio, on June 15, 1946. Their first date was at the movie theater. They eventually settled on 32nd Street in Fair Lawn, NJ where they raised three children. Rose relocated to Elmwood Park, NJ before becoming a longtime resident of Wayne, NJ, and, finally, North Haledon, NJ.

Rose’s pastimes ranged over the years from photography and developing her own pictures, to traveling throughout the United States upon retirement. She maintained her head for numbers, kept sharp, in part, by her routine of friendly card games. Family was without question her focus. She was a fixture at every gathering, from birthdays, where her ceremonial role was cutting the cake for the children, to every Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day, and Easter. Each morning began with the Rosary, a prayer recited for each of her grandchildren and great grandchildren.  

Rose is survived by her sons John Allessio (Renée), Robert Allessio (Carol), and her daughter Joanne Lamartino (Salvatore); seven grandchildren: Justin Allessio, Jessica Allessio, Christopher Allessio (Tara), Jenna Daneker (Nicholas), Joseph Allessio (Jennifer), Amanda McClelland (Michael), and Joseph Lamartino (Angelica); and seven great grandchildren: Bruno Allessio, Giada Allessio, Landon McClelland, Lola Allessio, Marco Allessio, Milo Allessio, and Emery McClelland.