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November 19, 2013
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Friday, November 22, 2013 from 4-8 PM.
Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, November 23, 2013 at 8:30 AM from the funeral home, then to Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church, 17 Van Duyne Ave., Wayne, where at 9:30 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered. Entombment will follow at Calvary Cemetery, Paterson.
Rose Grace Rolleri, age 83 of Wayne, died peacefully at home with her loving family by her side on Tuesday evening, November 19, 2013.
Rose was born in Montella, Italy, the younger of Ferdinando and Assunta Sesso's two children. For the first nine years of her life she was almost exclusively raised by her mother while her father worked as a mason in the United States, sending money back home to his family in Italy while establishing a permanent home in the U.S. where Rose, her mother, and brother Michael could one day join him. In 1939, the Sesso's were all together at last, settling into a new home that Rose's father built in Paterson. Rose quickly learned to speak English, mostly from the friends she made in school. Following graduation from Paterson's Central High School with the class of 1949, she went to work for First National Bank of Paterson in the mortgage department. Throughout her whole life, Rose always fell back on that banking experience, taking care of family finances by adding and subtracting numbers and coming up with the answer in her head before verifying her calculations with a calculator.
One time Rose's brother Michael was looking for someone to go on vacation with, so Rose's friend Dorothy Rolleri offered to ask her brother Norman if he would be willing to go with Michael. Norman obliged and when he arrived at Michael's house to leave for that vacation, there he saw Rose. Rose was wearing a beautiful white blouse and, as Norm put it, for him, love at first sight was the understatement of the century. Norman couldn't wait to get back from vacation so he could ask Rose out! She accepted and their first date was to the Windbeam Club off of Route 23. They spent the night dancing to live music and soon their love was mutual. Future dates included trips to New York City to see Broadway shows like Guys and Dolls and The King and I. One day, Norm and Rose were out for a drive. Feeling like he could wait no longer, he just pulled over and asked Rose for her hand in marriage. She eagerly accepted and, with the approval of Rose's parents, they became engaged on Valentine's Day and married the following Halloween, October 31, 1953. The wedding was celebrated at Our Lady of Pompeii Church in Paterson. Following a romantic honeymoon to Florida, the newlyweds settled into an upstairs apartment in the house Rose grew up in.
She continued working at First National Bank until God blessed them with their first child, a beautiful daughter which they named Patricia. Upon the impending arrival of their second-born, another dear girl which they named Norma Jean, the family moved out of that apartment in Paterson, into their brand new home in Wayne, NJ. By now Rose had completely embraced her role as a full-time super homemaker and she quickly made that new house a home where everyone wanted to be. Soon after the move, the family grew to five when they welcomed that son they had been waiting for and they named him Robert. Few things brought greater joy to Rose than spending time caring for her lawn and gardens. In the spring and summer, the curb appeal was undeniable thanks to the explosion of color brought on by the abundant flowers she had planted, pruned and cared for. To compliment those flowers, the grass was always manicured as if she was expecting Better Homes and Garden Magazine to show up any minute to use her home for a cover article. For some, such hard work might seem like just that...hard work, but not to Rose. She sincerely took great delight in pushing that lawn mower, a delight probably only eclipsed by her love for raking leaves in the fall. She loved the fall! Rose took good care of herself too. For over twenty years she and her best friend Jean started every day with a brisk two-mile walk and sometimes Diamond, the family's beagle, would come with. When it came to cooking, another one of Rose's better gifts, she always balanced yummyness with nutritiousness. For example, if a recipe called for two sticks of butter, Rose would substitute one stick with margarine.
One of the primary impetuses for Rose's love of home was her greater love for her family. She loved her family so much that she saw it as her calling and responsibility to nurture a place and atmosphere where Norm, the kids and grandkids would want to gather. This is not to say that Rose exclusively believed that an emotionally healthy family could only be realized with a nice house. Family was equally celebrated for many years in a rented house in Long Beach Island. For many summers the family gathered in LBI for a week or maybe two if Norm got a bonus that year. Rose loved the beauty of the ocean and that passion lives on to this day in her children and grandchildren. The bottom line is that Rose preferred staying home over traveling and that love of home was especially highlighted on a trip she took with Norm to Puerto Rico. A storm ensued on the way causing the airplane to rock violently. So scared was Rose that she asked Norm if they could forgo the airplane trip back home and take the train instead! Having said that, she and Norman did enjoy cruising to Bermuda and their 30th anniversary was celebrated with a trip to Hawaii. But in the end, family was everything! Her love for her children was incredible and when all three of them married, she never viewed their spouses, Matt, Robert and Gail, as in-laws. Oh no! Her reality was that she just went from being blessed with three kids to being blessed with six. She genuinely loved them that much! Her love for the kids may only have been rivaled by the joy she received and gave to her seven grandchildren. Her face would literally light up when Matthew, Stephanie, Michelle, Meghan, Melissa, Lucas or Rachel came to visit and, being the great cook that she was, she knew each one of their personal favorite recipes and would derive great joy from watching them eat it. Everyone loved Grandma's chocolate cookies made from, of course, one stick of butter and one stick of margarine! Her love was unconditional too. She understood that sometimes as kids grew, they loose their way and make some mistakes. She displayed steady patience and prayed for them to her Lord, the God who taught her all she ever knew about unconditional love. Rose was a woman of great faith and she loved God and being a parishioner of Holy Cross Parish in Wayne for 55 years where she was also a member of the Rosary Society. As her one son-in-law said, "if she isn't in heaven, I don't have a chance!" What a beautiful tribute!
Surviving this wonderful woman are her beloved husband of 60 years, Norman; her three dear children: Patricia and husband Matthew Dox of Wayne, Norma Jean and husband Robert Falcone of Warren Township, and Robert and wife Gail Rolleri of Cary, NC; seven adored grandchildren: Matthew, Stephanie, Michelle, Meghan, Melissa, Lucas and Rachel; and her niece and nephews: Fred, Ernie and Susie. Rose was predeceased by her brother Michael Sesso in 2004.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Rose's name are asked to consider Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church or the National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF), 14 Mitchell Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94903.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Friday, November 22, 2013 from 4-8 PM.
Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, November 23, 2013 at 8:30 AM from the funeral home, then to Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church, 17 Van Duyne Ave., Wayne, where at 9:30 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered. Entombment will follow at Calvary Cemetery, Paterson.
November 19, 2013
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Friday, November 22, 2013 from 4-8 PM.
Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, November 23, 2013 at 8:30 AM from the funeral home, then to Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church, 17 Van Duyne Ave., Wayne, where at 9:30 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered. Entombment will follow at Calvary Cemetery, Paterson.
Rose Grace Rolleri, age 83 of Wayne, died peacefully at home with her loving family by her side on Tuesday evening, November 19, 2013.
Rose was born in Montella, Italy, the younger of Ferdinando and Assunta Sesso's two children. For the first nine years of her life she was almost exclusively raised by her mother while her father worked as a mason in the United States, sending money back home to his family in Italy while establishing a permanent home in the U.S. where Rose, her mother, and brother Michael could one day join him. In 1939, the Sesso's were all together at last, settling into a new home that Rose's father built in Paterson. Rose quickly learned to speak English, mostly from the friends she made in school. Following graduation from Paterson's Central High School with the class of 1949, she went to work for First National Bank of Paterson in the mortgage department. Throughout her whole life, Rose always fell back on that banking experience, taking care of family finances by adding and subtracting numbers and coming up with the answer in her head before verifying her calculations with a calculator.
One time Rose's brother Michael was looking for someone to go on vacation with, so Rose's friend Dorothy Rolleri offered to ask her brother Norman if he would be willing to go with Michael. Norman obliged and when he arrived at Michael's house to leave for that vacation, there he saw Rose. Rose was wearing a beautiful white blouse and, as Norm put it, for him, love at first sight was the understatement of the century. Norman couldn't wait to get back from vacation so he could ask Rose out! She accepted and their first date was to the Windbeam Club off of Route 23. They spent the night dancing to live music and soon their love was mutual. Future dates included trips to New York City to see Broadway shows like Guys and Dolls and The King and I. One day, Norm and Rose were out for a drive. Feeling like he could wait no longer, he just pulled over and asked Rose for her hand in marriage. She eagerly accepted and, with the approval of Rose's parents, they became engaged on Valentine's Day and married the following Halloween, October 31, 1953. The wedding was celebrated at Our Lady of Pompeii Church in Paterson. Following a romantic honeymoon to Florida, the newlyweds settled into an upstairs apartment in the house Rose grew up in.
She continued working at First National Bank until God blessed them with their first child, a beautiful daughter which they named Patricia. Upon the impending arrival of their second-born, another dear girl which they named Norma Jean, the family moved out of that apartment in Paterson, into their brand new home in Wayne, NJ. By now Rose had completely embraced her role as a full-time super homemaker and she quickly made that new house a home where everyone wanted to be. Soon after the move, the family grew to five when they welcomed that son they had been waiting for and they named him Robert. Few things brought greater joy to Rose than spending time caring for her lawn and gardens. In the spring and summer, the curb appeal was undeniable thanks to the explosion of color brought on by the abundant flowers she had planted, pruned and cared for. To compliment those flowers, the grass was always manicured as if she was expecting Better Homes and Garden Magazine to show up any minute to use her home for a cover article. For some, such hard work might seem like just that...hard work, but not to Rose. She sincerely took great delight in pushing that lawn mower, a delight probably only eclipsed by her love for raking leaves in the fall. She loved the fall! Rose took good care of herself too. For over twenty years she and her best friend Jean started every day with a brisk two-mile walk and sometimes Diamond, the family's beagle, would come with. When it came to cooking, another one of Rose's better gifts, she always balanced yummyness with nutritiousness. For example, if a recipe called for two sticks of butter, Rose would substitute one stick with margarine.
One of the primary impetuses for Rose's love of home was her greater love for her family. She loved her family so much that she saw it as her calling and responsibility to nurture a place and atmosphere where Norm, the kids and grandkids would want to gather. This is not to say that Rose exclusively believed that an emotionally healthy family could only be realized with a nice house. Family was equally celebrated for many years in a rented house in Long Beach Island. For many summers the family gathered in LBI for a week or maybe two if Norm got a bonus that year. Rose loved the beauty of the ocean and that passion lives on to this day in her children and grandchildren. The bottom line is that Rose preferred staying home over traveling and that love of home was especially highlighted on a trip she took with Norm to Puerto Rico. A storm ensued on the way causing the airplane to rock violently. So scared was Rose that she asked Norm if they could forgo the airplane trip back home and take the train instead! Having said that, she and Norman did enjoy cruising to Bermuda and their 30th anniversary was celebrated with a trip to Hawaii. But in the end, family was everything! Her love for her children was incredible and when all three of them married, she never viewed their spouses, Matt, Robert and Gail, as in-laws. Oh no! Her reality was that she just went from being blessed with three kids to being blessed with six. She genuinely loved them that much! Her love for the kids may only have been rivaled by the joy she received and gave to her seven grandchildren. Her face would literally light up when Matthew, Stephanie, Michelle, Meghan, Melissa, Lucas or Rachel came to visit and, being the great cook that she was, she knew each one of their personal favorite recipes and would derive great joy from watching them eat it. Everyone loved Grandma's chocolate cookies made from, of course, one stick of butter and one stick of margarine! Her love was unconditional too. She understood that sometimes as kids grew, they loose their way and make some mistakes. She displayed steady patience and prayed for them to her Lord, the God who taught her all she ever knew about unconditional love. Rose was a woman of great faith and she loved God and being a parishioner of Holy Cross Parish in Wayne for 55 years where she was also a member of the Rosary Society. As her one son-in-law said, "if she isn't in heaven, I don't have a chance!" What a beautiful tribute!
Surviving this wonderful woman are her beloved husband of 60 years, Norman; her three dear children: Patricia and husband Matthew Dox of Wayne, Norma Jean and husband Robert Falcone of Warren Township, and Robert and wife Gail Rolleri of Cary, NC; seven adored grandchildren: Matthew, Stephanie, Michelle, Meghan, Melissa, Lucas and Rachel; and her niece and nephews: Fred, Ernie and Susie. Rose was predeceased by her brother Michael Sesso in 2004.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Rose's name are asked to consider Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church or the National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF), 14 Mitchell Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94903.
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