Obituary of Rose E. Giarratana

Giarratana, Rose, age 89, of Ramsey, died on Monday, January 4, 2015. Rose was born and lived in Hackensack, New Jersey, until 1962 when she moved to Upper Saddle River. Seven years ago, she moved to Ramsey. Rose was born to Joseph and Carmelina Adamo (nee Brancato) on January 14, 1926, and married Vincent J. Giarratana, Sr. in 1948. She is survived by her son, Vincent Giarratana, Jr., and his wife, Lynn Obee, of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey; her daughter, Gail Frey, and her husband, Chip of Aurora, Ohio; and her daughter-in-law Kristine Giarratana, of Madison, Connecticut. Also surviving are her grandchildren: Kyle Frey and his wife, Nicole; Alissa Gloria and her husband, Anthony; Anna Giarratana, Gessi Giarratana, Giovann Giarratana, Amy Giarratana, and Vance Giarratana, as well as two great-grandchildren, Cora Frey and Lorenzo Gloria. She was predeceased by her husband, Vincent, in 1987, and her son, Glenn, in 2015. Rose was a 1948 graduate of William Paterson College, and she taught elementary school in Hackensack and in Upper Saddle River until she retired in 1988. One of her great pleasures in life was meeting up with former colleagues for regular luncheons and running into former students by chance. Rose was a dedicated bridge player who belonged to several bridge groups. Always a teacher, she taught many of her grandchildren, and their friends, how to play bridge. The family will receive friends on Thursday, January 7, from 1–3 and 6–8 p.m. at the Vander Plaat Funeral Home, www.vpfh.com, 257 Godwin Ave. Wyckoff, NJ 07481. A funeral service will be held on Friday, January 8, at 11 a.m. at the funeral home. Entombment will follow at George Washington Memorial Park, 234 Paramus Road, Paramus, NJ 07652. Donations in Rose’s memory may be made to Villa Maria Claire, 12 West Saddle River Road, Saddle River, NJ 07458, or to William Paterson University, Office of Development—Scholarship Fund, 300 Pompton Road, Wayne, NJ 07470.