Rose Outerbridge

On Saturday March 18, 2023, our beloved Mom, Rose Outerbridge, passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by her loving family.

Rose was born on April 21, 1927, in a cold-water flat on Hunterdon Street in Newark to Veronica and Angelo Giordano.  Her life was a challenge from the beginning as she began school with Italian as her only language but she persevered and eventually made it her goal to learn and to better herself.

She began working at Miss Jean's Hat Shop in Paterson at the age of 14.  There she developed her first taste of independence as well as a lifelong flair for fashion and style.  She graduated from Eastside High School and Barbizon School of Modeling and went on to model in print ads for local department stores.  While working at Bamberger's she met Red Outerbridge for a soda and thus began a love that lasted their lifetimes. After living as newlyweds in an attic apartment, they started their family and bought their first home in Glen Rock, where they lived for many years before moving to Wyckoff in 2010.  

Rose was a woman who was unique beyond description...an artist, chef, decorator, fashion plate, gardener of roses, collector of rhino statues, fan of Miss Marple movies, and faith-filled prayer to St. Anthony.  She approached life with joy, energy and optimism.  It's as if the phrase "looking at life through rose-colored glasses" was coined for her.  

But more than anything, it was time with family that she cherished most.  There were Sunday dinners that rooted us all to one another. There were cups of tea and Milano cookies at the kitchen table. There were fancy dessert bowls of strawberries and CoolWhip and always a bowl full of Hershey kisses ..all  accompanied by the warm comfort of Mom or Gram or Nonni.  We all knew that her door and her heart were always open and she made each one of us feel as if we were her favorite.  Her legacy lives on through our love and loyalty to one another, which stemmed from her fierce and enduring devotion to her family. 

Rose was predeceased by her cherished husband Red in 2018, just months after celebrating their 71st wedding anniversary.  She leaves behind a sister, Inez, of Annapolis, MD; and her legacy, son Kevin Outerbridge, his wife Liz, daughter Debra Roeder, her husband Douglas; six grandchildren: Courtney, (Brian),  Erin (Jake), Kelly (Freddy), Logan (Meganne), Kyle (Christine) and Collin;  and 15 great grandchildren.  She is also predeceased by a great grandson Grant.  She will be sorely missed and forever adored.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated for the family on Tuesday March 21, 2023, at 10:30am at St. Elizabeth RC Church in Wyckoff.  Interment will be at the Wyckoff Reformed Church Cemetery.