Obituary of Rose E. Santoro

Rose Estelle Santoro Rose Estelle (Fittipaldi) Santoro, a lifelong resident of South Plainfield, died peacefully at home on Thursday, June 28, 2012. She was 90. The youngest of seven children, Rose grew up on her family's farm at a time when South Plainfield was a rural enclave of a few thousand residents. She often told stories of her childhood on the farm, including being taken to grade school in a horse-drawn wagon and being dispatched, with her eldest sister, to dismantle and hide a still when federal agents enforcing Prohibition called on her father. Rose graduated from North Plainfield High School in 1938 and went on to earn her Registered Nurse certification from the Muhlenberg Hospital School of Nursing in 1940. In 1945, Rose married her grade school classmate, Michael L. Santoro, who was fresh home from combat service with the Marine Corps. Mike and Rose would enjoy 66 years of marriage until his death in 2011. Rose spent her entire 42-year nursing career with Muhlenberg Hospital, mostly as a recovery room nurse. She was an active volunteer with programs ranging from the Cub Scouts to senior citizens. She was a lifelong communicant of Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church and a member of its Rosary Society. Rose served as the "nurse on call" for her extended family and for her Joan Street neighborhood, where she lived for 60 years. She is survived by her three sons and their families: Michael L. Santoro, Jr. and Martha Santoro of Richmond, Virginia; John Santoro and Pamela Bennett-Santoro of Morristown, NJ; and Daniel Santoro of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. She is also survived by her grandchildren: Mary Catherine Santoro of Martinsville, Virginia, Michael John Santoro of Morristown, and Anne Loomis, and her husband, Greg Loomis of Arlington, Virginia, the parents of Rose's great-grandchild, Jason. She loved and greatly appreciated the many devoted members of her extended family. Besides her husband, Mike, she is predeceased by all her brothers and sisters, and by her beloved grandchild, Paula Rosina Santoro. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, July 3, 2012, beginning at 9:15 AM in the McCriskin-Gustafson Home for Funerals, 2425 Plainfield Avenue, South Plainfield, NJ, followed by a 10:00 AM Funeral Mass at Sacred Heart RC Church in South Plainfield. Mausoleum Entombment will follow at Holy Redeemer Cemetery in South Plainfield. Visitation will take place in the funeral home on Monday, July 2, from 2:00-4:00 PM and again from 7:00-9:00 PM, and on Tuesday from 9:00 AM until the service time. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations in Rose's name to The Paula Rosina Santoro Foundation, PO Box 9265, Morristown, NJ 07963 or to The South Plainfield Rescue Squad, 2520 Plainfield Ave, South Plainfield, NJ 07080