Richard La Rosa

Richard LaRosa (80) of Dumont entered eternal life on April 13, 2026. Born in Wood-Ridge NJ, Rich is survived by his wife Patricia and three children Kathleen McDermott and her husband Michael, Mark LaRosa, and Brian LaRosa and his wife Adrienne. His eleven grandchildren Shannon, Stephanie, Jill, Mairead and Bridget McDermott, Erin, James, Tina, Ava and Christopher LaRosa, and Izzy. His siblings Jack (Betty), Angela, Gerald (Casey), Joseph (Judy), Christopher LaRosa and the late Daniel. He is predeceased by his parents IJ and Mary LaRosa. Rich is a graduate of St. Cecilia HS, FDU, and Iona College. Rich was a parishioner for over 55 years at St. John's the Evangelist in Bergenfield. He and his wife Pat shared a strong Catholic faith and were active in the church, especially as young adults when they were involved in parish activities such as CCD, marriage encounter, pre-Cana, and Eucharistic ministry. Rich, ever the jokester, genuinely loved spending time with children. It was customary at family events to see him playing on the floor surrounded, tackled, and chased by giggling toddlers. He was silly, animated, and creative, especially when emulating the voice of Donald Duck, which he perfected. But he was also a very cerebral man. He was employed by IBM as a software engineer for decades where he wore his finely pressed blue three-piece suit everyday with pride. The company's motto "Think" enamored him: when asked what the most sophisticated computer that could ever be built, he would respond with "the brain". Ultimately the smartest thing he ever did was attend a play in high school where, by chance, he met classmate Patricia Corby. They spent the next 62 years together, 58 of them married. Always the nurse, she cared for him until the very end. Sickness-and-health and death-till-us-part were no mere words for them, but affirmations of faith. His wife, friends, siblings, children and grandchildren will miss him deeply, not only for the life he lived, but for the joy, humor, warmth, and steadiness he brought into theirs. They will miss his voice, his laugh, his stories, his wit, and the way he made even ordinary family moments feel special. He leaves behind not just memories, but a lasting imprint on everyone who knew him. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in his honor to www.njmecfsa.org/donate or send to: NJME/CFSA, Inc. PO Box 477, Florham Park, NJ 07632