On Friday, February 5th, 2021, Heaven gained another Angel, Rosemarie Perrone Crisham. She was an amazing wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend and Advocate for the Deaf.
If you didn’t have the honor of knowing Ro or RoRo, as she was known by many, it would take a novel to tell her full story, so let me attempt to give you the Cliff Note version. She would light up a room the moment she walked in. Her laugh was infectious. Whenever she met someone, she welcomed you into her heart and into her world. She made you feel important. All her focus was on you. It seems so unreal that she is no longer with us.
Rosemarie was a tireless advocate and a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community of New Jersey. Unfortunately, after 27 years on the job she loved, she was forced to focus on herself when she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Breast Cancer. Through the years, she had taken care of her clients and her family rather than herself. During treatment, her breast health had improved although doctors had discovered a cancerous spot next to her spinal cord. They were puzzled and worked hard to find the right treatment to steady the growth. She had done several radiation treatments on her back that were deemed as failures. Her physical health began to deteriorate faster than expected. Rosemarie was then diagnosed with a brain cancer called Leptomeningeal Carcinomatosis, a rare complication in which the disease spreads to the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal fluid.
Ro was fierce and strong while dealing with this horrific disease. She had outlasted the expected timeframe of 4-6 weeks, but none of us knew exactly how long she would be with us. During this time, she lost her vision in one eye, while her other eye continued to slowly deteriorate as well. Because Ro was Deaf, we had to rely on modified modes of communication. Once she became completely blind, she used her good ear to listen to us, responding only with short answers. We were heartbroken with this change in communication, but determined to speak to her, we used hand gestures or tactile American Sign Language by holding and signing into her hands.
We tried to comfort her in any way possible, but true to her character, Ro fought hard. She rarely complained of pain. Rosemarie passed peacefully surrounded by her loving husband Dan, her daughters Gabriella and Amanda, and her Mother Lia. Although they were not physically present during her final moments, Rosemarie’s two brothers, Andrew and Peter, as well as her husband’s family in California offered support in every step of her journey.
Ro was full of life and energy, and she was always up for a new adventure in life. Even though, she carried the weight of financially supporting her family, Ro hardly showed it. She always greeted everyone with a huge smile, a warm hug and lots of laughter. Rosemarie was so valuable to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community because she helped hundreds of clients who were in need of assistance for education, need of hearing aids or search for employment. The Deaf community has lost one of its fiercest warriors. Ro was truly one of a kind. She made the lives of everyone around her brighter and more beautiful. She had a heart of gold and an amazing soul. She will truly be missed by so many.
Rosemarie and her husband, Dan, have been happily married for 24 years. They have two beautiful daughters, Gabriella (21) and Amanda (19). RoRo always made sure they were taken care of before herself. As the primary breadwinner of the family, she was extremely worried about paying for the girls’ college tuition since when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Their education was extremely important to her. Even though she fought really hard to get as much financial aid as possible, it is not going to be enough to cover their college education. Upon her death, previous financial assistance will no longer be granted towards their education. Therefore, this is going to create an enormous financial burden on her family.
The family needs assistance to fund Rosemarie’s daughter’s education as well as help with funeral and household expenses. Any donation, small or big, is greatly appreciated. In this time, we ask that you keep Rosemarie’s loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.
If you didn’t have the honor of knowing Ro or RoRo, as she was known by many, it would take a novel to tell her full story, so let me attempt to give you the Cliff Note version. She would light up a room the moment she walked in. Her laugh was infectious. Whenever she met someone, she welcomed you into her heart and into her world. She made you feel important. All her focus was on you. It seems so unreal that she is no longer with us.
Rosemarie was a tireless advocate and a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community of New Jersey. Unfortunately, after 27 years on the job she loved, she was forced to focus on herself when she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Breast Cancer. Through the years, she had taken care of her clients and her family rather than herself. During treatment, her breast health had improved although doctors had discovered a cancerous spot next to her spinal cord. They were puzzled and worked hard to find the right treatment to steady the growth. She had done several radiation treatments on her back that were deemed as failures. Her physical health began to deteriorate faster than expected. Rosemarie was then diagnosed with a brain cancer called Leptomeningeal Carcinomatosis, a rare complication in which the disease spreads to the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal fluid.
Ro was fierce and strong while dealing with this horrific disease. She had outlasted the expected timeframe of 4-6 weeks, but none of us knew exactly how long she would be with us. During this time, she lost her vision in one eye, while her other eye continued to slowly deteriorate as well. Because Ro was Deaf, we had to rely on modified modes of communication. Once she became completely blind, she used her good ear to listen to us, responding only with short answers. We were heartbroken with this change in communication, but determined to speak to her, we used hand gestures or tactile American Sign Language by holding and signing into her hands.
We tried to comfort her in any way possible, but true to her character, Ro fought hard. She rarely complained of pain. Rosemarie passed peacefully surrounded by her loving husband Dan, her daughters Gabriella and Amanda, and her Mother Lia. Although they were not physically present during her final moments, Rosemarie’s two brothers, Andrew and Peter, as well as her husband’s family in California offered support in every step of her journey.
Ro was full of life and energy, and she was always up for a new adventure in life. Even though, she carried the weight of financially supporting her family, Ro hardly showed it. She always greeted everyone with a huge smile, a warm hug and lots of laughter. Rosemarie was so valuable to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community because she helped hundreds of clients who were in need of assistance for education, need of hearing aids or search for employment. The Deaf community has lost one of its fiercest warriors. Ro was truly one of a kind. She made the lives of everyone around her brighter and more beautiful. She had a heart of gold and an amazing soul. She will truly be missed by so many.
Rosemarie and her husband, Dan, have been happily married for 24 years. They have two beautiful daughters, Gabriella (21) and Amanda (19). RoRo always made sure they were taken care of before herself. As the primary breadwinner of the family, she was extremely worried about paying for the girls’ college tuition since when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Their education was extremely important to her. Even though she fought really hard to get as much financial aid as possible, it is not going to be enough to cover their college education. Upon her death, previous financial assistance will no longer be granted towards their education. Therefore, this is going to create an enormous financial burden on her family.
The family needs assistance to fund Rosemarie’s daughter’s education as well as help with funeral and household expenses. Any donation, small or big, is greatly appreciated. In this time, we ask that you keep Rosemarie’s loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.
Organizer and beneficiary
Dan Crisham
Beneficiary