37°Good evening
Rosa Asaro, East Islip resident and beloved mother, grandmother and...

Rosa Asaro, East Islip resident and beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, died Jan. 4 at 86. Credit: Jacqueline Amato

Rosa Asaro was always concerned with the well-being of others, her family said.

"She wrote us all letters when she was sick; everyone got a personal letter of everything she wanted to say," said Asaro's daughter, Jacqueline Amato, of South Setauket. "She told us she hoped that people remember her with love and positive memories, putting each other first like she always did."

Asaro was born on Sept. 6, 1938, in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, and grew up in a tight-knit Italian community. Her family came from Castellammare del Golfo in Sicily, and Asaro's Italian heritage was very important to her, according to her daughter Kerry Riege.

"It was her identity. She loved to cook and try new recipes," said Riege, of Montauk. "She cooked whatever we wanted. She made us our favorite meals on our birthdays and whenever someone took a plane trip or car ride she gave them a bag full of chicken parm heros. Everyone came together over a meal."

Asaro died on Jan. 4 from GIST cancer (gastrointestinal stromal tumors) at the age of 86.

Asaro graduated from Prospect Heights High School and studied at St. John’s University before she married Lee Mead in 1958. They moved to Long Island in 1963 and raised four children in Deer Park. They later divorced.

In 1984, she married Anthony Ferrara and they moved to East Islip. He died in 1994.

A hardworking mother who was always involved in her children's lives, Asaro was a past member of the East Islip school board and the school district's TaxPac organization.

"She always put her kids first — she was a single mom for a lot of years — and worked really hard until late at night," Amato said. Her mother had jobs at a phone company, in medical billing, and at a coin collecting company as a bookkeeper. "Despite how busy she was, she was a person who always showed up for other people. If she was invited, she went; if someone needed a ride, she drove them. She went to any length for somebody who needed it."

Asaro enjoyed reading, doing crossword puzzles, and watching Alfred Hitchcock films, crime dramas and detective mysteries on television. According to her family, Asaro loved to spend time near the water and frequently took her boat to Fire Island with her husband. She also worked at the Montauk Point Lighthouse over many summers until she was 80 and took her grandchildren to a nearby marina and nature park at the end of her block.

As a grandmother, Asaro was "incredibly supportive and simply the best," her granddaughter Hanna Riege-Ng said.

"She came to every event no matter how big or small, and when I flew home from college, she would be waiting in the airport with a chicken parm sandwich," said Riege-Ng, of the Bronx. "I think she would want to be remembered for her kindness and love for her family. She had an impact on everyone in our family and she was really good with staying in touch with everyone."

Asaro's best friend and sister-in-law, Jean Asaro, remembered her friend as someone who was "very loyal, very caring, and always very connected."

"Nothing was superficial with her, she was a very genuine person and had an exquisite memory. She never forgot a thing, whether it was lines from movies or facts and dates," said Jean Asaro, of Warren, Rhode Island. "She had a great sense of humor and was always someone I could count on. She was present in all ways for her family."

In addition to daughters Riege and Amato, and granddaughter Riege-Ng, Asaro is survived by daughter Julia Mead, of East Hampton, and son Gavin Mead, of South Setauket; five grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and her brother, Robert Asaro.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated at the Roman Catholic Church of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Deer Park on Saturday, followed by burial at North Babylon Cemetery.

Rosa Asaro was always concerned with the well-being of others, her family said.

"She wrote us all letters when she was sick; everyone got a personal letter of everything she wanted to say," said Asaro's daughter, Jacqueline Amato, of South Setauket. "She told us she hoped that people remember her with love and positive memories, putting each other first like she always did."

Asaro was born on Sept. 6, 1938, in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, and grew up in a tight-knit Italian community. Her family came from Castellammare del Golfo in Sicily, and Asaro's Italian heritage was very important to her, according to her daughter Kerry Riege.

"It was her identity. She loved to cook and try new recipes," said Riege, of Montauk. "She cooked whatever we wanted. She made us our favorite meals on our birthdays and whenever someone took a plane trip or car ride she gave them a bag full of chicken parm heros. Everyone came together over a meal."

Asaro died on Jan. 4 from GIST cancer (gastrointestinal stromal tumors) at the age of 86.

Asaro graduated from Prospect Heights High School and studied at St. John’s University before she married Lee Mead in 1958. They moved to Long Island in 1963 and raised four children in Deer Park. They later divorced.

In 1984, she married Anthony Ferrara and they moved to East Islip. He died in 1994.

A hardworking mother who was always involved in her children's lives, Asaro was a past member of the East Islip school board and the school district's TaxPac organization.

"She always put her kids first — she was a single mom for a lot of years — and worked really hard until late at night," Amato said. Her mother had jobs at a phone company, in medical billing, and at a coin collecting company as a bookkeeper. "Despite how busy she was, she was a person who always showed up for other people. If she was invited, she went; if someone needed a ride, she drove them. She went to any length for somebody who needed it."

Asaro enjoyed reading, doing crossword puzzles, and watching Alfred Hitchcock films, crime dramas and detective mysteries on television. According to her family, Asaro loved to spend time near the water and frequently took her boat to Fire Island with her husband. She also worked at the Montauk Point Lighthouse over many summers until she was 80 and took her grandchildren to a nearby marina and nature park at the end of her block.

As a grandmother, Asaro was "incredibly supportive and simply the best," her granddaughter Hanna Riege-Ng said.

"She came to every event no matter how big or small, and when I flew home from college, she would be waiting in the airport with a chicken parm sandwich," said Riege-Ng, of the Bronx. "I think she would want to be remembered for her kindness and love for her family. She had an impact on everyone in our family and she was really good with staying in touch with everyone."

Asaro's best friend and sister-in-law, Jean Asaro, remembered her friend as someone who was "very loyal, very caring, and always very connected."

"Nothing was superficial with her, she was a very genuine person and had an exquisite memory. She never forgot a thing, whether it was lines from movies or facts and dates," said Jean Asaro, of Warren, Rhode Island. "She had a great sense of humor and was always someone I could count on. She was present in all ways for her family."

In addition to daughters Riege and Amato, and granddaughter Riege-Ng, Asaro is survived by daughter Julia Mead, of East Hampton, and son Gavin Mead, of South Setauket; five grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and her brother, Robert Asaro.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated at the Roman Catholic Church of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Deer Park on Saturday, followed by burial at North Babylon Cemetery.

NewsdayTV showcases the role Black Americans played in the shaping of our workforce and economy.

Celebrating a Black senator, Tuskegee Airman and Civil War veteran on LI NewsdayTV showcases the role Black Americans played in the shaping of our workforce and economy.

SUBSCRIBE

Unlimited Digital AccessOnly 25¢for 6 months

ACT NOWSALE ENDS SOON | CANCEL ANYTIME