| Obituary:
Rose Colavito, age 93, died September 2, 2010 leaving a legacy through her family, her students and all those she touched. Rose was born near the end of the First World War in Pennsylvania and grew up during the Depression in Williamsburg, East Harlem and the Bronx. At 17, she dropped out of high school and worked in a lace mill. In her forties, while raising a family and working, Rose returned to continue her education at evening school at Roosevelt HS, in the Bronx, graduating as valedictorian of her class. She went on to get a BA from Hunter College and her Masters in English Education from New York University. At the age of 50, she began teaching at JHS 118 in the South Bronx, where she taught English for the next 25 years. There she developed a Drama program that engaged her students and helped develop a sense of community. Her classes performed musicals every year, from West Side Story to Man of La Mancha. During this time Rose received a teaching award from the Federation of Italian-American Educators (FIAME). At 75, unwilling to remain retired, she began volunteering at the Bronx New School and was eventually hired to open and run the school library. Finally, at 90, she was forced by coronary surgery to stop working.
In addition to her work in schools, Rose was a volunteer at the NY Botanical Garden, working in the Children’s Garden and teaching origami. The work she and her students created was displayed at both the Garden and the American Museum of Natural History. In everything she did, Rose was a strong advocate for justice, on both an individual and a social level.
Rose was married for 68 years to the man she called her hero, Bill Colavito, who survives her. She is also survived by her sons Joe and Bill, daughter-in-law Deana, her grandchildren Peter, Eve, Paul and Andy, and 4 great-grandchildren. Condolences may be offered at Beecher Funeral Home in Pleasantville, NY on Tuesday, September 7 from 2-4 PM and 7-9 PM. During the 7 PM viewing, a ceremony celebrating Rose’s life will be held. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent in her name to either the Enrico Fermi Branch of the New York Public Library in the Bronx or to the Pleasantville Public Library. |
