Rosemarie Williams

Rosemarie Williams nee Wills, age 95, of Wayne passed away peacefully on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Rosemarie was born in Scranton, PA to Richard & Mary Wills.  She was the 5th of 9 children so there was never a dull moment in her childhood.  She eventually got a job at First National Bank, in Paterson, as a teller and subsequently moved to New Jersey, living with her sister, Millie and brother-in-law.  Either by chance or fate, Rosemarie met a gentleman living right next door named Robert Williams.  Bob, as he was better known, was only on leave from the United States Navy for a short time.  The two quickly fell in love and before Bob returned to base, he & Rosemarie were married at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Paterson, NJ on January 5, 1951.  Their marriage lasted a remarkable 73 years before Rosemarie’s passing.

Once Bob was discharged from the Navy, he and Rosemarie moved into an apartment in Paterson where their family grew by one with the birth of their daughter, Barbara.  With their family expanding, the couple decided to buy a house in Wayne that they would call home for the rest of their lives together.  Shortly thereafter, they were blessed with another child, Robert.

Rosemarie will be remembered for her patience, kind heart, loving personality and her good sense of humor.

Before starting her family, Rosemarie worked as a bank teller for many years in Paterson and Wayne.  While her children were still in school, Rosemarie worked at Anthony Wayne Jr. High serving school lunches to the students.  Rosemarie  then went on to work for the Foundation for the Handicapped in Wayne as a Floor Supervisor.  Her stay there spanned 15 years.

She was an animal lover raising two dogs: Taffy 1 & Taffy 2, before owning two cats: Trevor & Boots.  Rosemarie was also blessed with “The Wills’ Family Sweet Tooth”, that manifested itself in a love for cake, cookies, pastries and candy.

Rosemarie loved to travel with Bob and their friends and also their granddaughter, Cristy making frequent trips out to the peaceful rolling hills of Lancaster, PA (with fresh ice cream and candy at the Amish farms along the way).

Rosemarie’s love for her family outweighed everything else in her life.  She was proud of her family and it brought so much joy to her heart to see her great-granddaughter, Ava.  Rosemarie had a passion for the piano that she was passing down to Ava so that one day she would play as well.

Rosemarie is survived by her husband, Bob, her children: Barbara Hamilton (Brian) and son Robert Jay (Debbie), her granddaughter, Cristy Lynn Testino (Peter) and her great-granddaughter Ava Rosemarie.  She is predeceased by her parents, Richard and Mary Wills, her six brothers,: Richard Verdun, Frederick (Bubs), James, John (Chick), Harold and Gerald (Pete), and two sisters: Mildred (Millie) Scialpi and Helene Balon.

In lieu of flowers, the Williams family asks for memorial contributions in Rosemarie’s name to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.\