Obituary of Rosemary Black

Rosemary W. Black of Oneonta, NY, passed away peacefully on January 9, 2018.  

The daughter of Regina (Ford) and Paul Westman, she was born in Somerville, NJ in 1925; one of the first babies born at Somerset Hospital.  Rosemary grew up in Somerville, attended Somerville High School, and married her childhood sweetheart Roy in 1942.  He predeceased her in 1987.  While in New Jersey, she worked as a teacher’s aide in the Bridgewater-Raritan School District and also at the Somerset Library.  In 1990, Rosemary moved to Oneonta, NY to be near family.

An avid gardener, Rosemary grew both flowers and vegetables and delighted in the outdoors.  She always had bird feeders set out during the winter, kept dogs most of her life, and also loved horses.  She even took a pack trip into the Colorado Mountains for several days.

Rosemary was the great-granddaughter of Patrick Ford, founder and editor of The Irish World in New York City (1870-1951).  The main newspaper of its time for Irish Americans, The Irish World supported abolition and women’s rights, and raised more than three million dollars for Irish independence. She was very proud of her Irish heritage and visited Ireland several times.

Rosemary especially enjoyed time with her family and will be sorely missed.  She was predeceased by her brother, Robert and is survived by her children, David and Antonia (Mufich), Kathleen and John (Davey), Nancy and Robert (Latorra), Christopher and Lois (Mahnken) Black , and Brian and Kirsten (Washburn); as well as her grandchildren, Keith; Caitlyn and Sean; Christopher and Regina; Jessica, Melissa, Erica, and Michael; and Erin, Beau, and Paul, and also eight great-grandchildren.

A graveside service will be held on Wednesday, January 17, 2018 at 1:30 PM at Immaculate Conception Cemetery, 33-199 Union Ave, Somerville, NJ  08876.

Friends may visit with the family on Wednesday from 11:00 to 1:00 PM at the Kearns Funeral Home, 103 Old Highway 28, Whitehouse, NJ 08888.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Nature Conservancy, Attn: Treasury, 4245 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22203 or at www.thenatureconservancy.com