Rosemary Halas

Rosemary Halas, age 88, of Wayne, passed away on July 8, 2023. Rosemary is survived by her children: John (Susan) of Danville, CA, Karen (Daniel) Fern of Oakland, NJ, Kathleen (Matthew) Shoztic of Stamford, CT, Maribeth (Barry) Hastings of Greenville, NC and Thomas (Tracey) of North Arlington, NJ, and twelve beloved grandchildren: Paige, Derek, Aiden and Mason Halas, William and Bradley Fern, Zachary and Ryan Shoztic, and Jackson, Emma, Avery and Brady Hastings. She was preceded in death by her parents, Anna and John O’Malley, and husband, George Halas.

Rosemary, a 58-year resident of Wayne, was born and raised in Pennsylvania. Upon graduating from Meecha-Wyoming High School in 1952 and Misericordia University in 1956, Rosemary began her career as a registered dietician. She then went on to pursue a career in education and worked as an elementary school teacher in the City of Paterson and a culinary arts instructor at Passaic County Technical Institute in Wayne.

While she very much enjoyed teaching, her family and faith were always the cornerstones of her life. Rosemary was an amazing daughter, wife, mother and grandmother who lovingly and selflessly cared for her husband, children, grandchildren, parents and mother-in-law over the course of her adult life. She was a very skilled seamstress and a wonderful cook/baker who always made every occasion special. Rosemary was also a loyal fan of the New York Mets and Rutgers University athletics and spent many hours watching and rooting for her favorite teams alongside her husband, George. She enjoyed traveling and was an avid skier and member of the PasClif Ski Club where she met her lifelong love and devoted husband of 59 years.

Rosemary, and her husband, George, were two of the founding members of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Wayne. As an active church member, Rosemary served her parish and the surrounding community for many years as a eucharistic minister and a volunteer for the annual thanksgiving food drive and church picnic, the Annunciation Prime Timers Club, Eva’s Village and the Father English Community Center.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Rosemary’s memory to St. Jude Children's ResearchHospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or to Annunciation Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 45 Urban Club Road, Wayne, NJ 07470.