Obituary of Roberta Perry Rose

Roberta Perry Rose was born on July 5, 1918 to Robert E. Perry and Margaret Richardson in Greenwich, Connecticut. In her youth, she attended Bethel AME Church with her parents, her brother Donald and her deceased siblings Ruth Perry Lee, Nathaniel and Robert E. Perry Jr. She was active in Bethel as a member of the choir and the Junior Missionary Org. In 1934, she moved with her parents to Ambler, PA. It was there that she met her husband, Burns Allen Rose, Jr. They had four children: Jane, Burns III, Lillian and Albert. She joined the Methodist church in Ambler and was the organist for the choir for a number of years. After graduating from Ambler High School, Roberta attended and graduated with honors from the Berean Business School, (now Berean College), in Philadelphia. Later, Roberta and her family moved to Woodbury, NJ where Roberta applied for a job at the IRS in Camden and worked there for seven years, then, she transferred to a new IRS service center in Holtsville, NY and helped train new employees. She returned to school and completed accounting and computer courses at Stonybrook College (SUNY). Also, while living in Long Island, NY, Roberta joined the AME church in Setauket, Long Island, NY where Reverend Paul Morrison was her pastor for 17 years. As an active member, Roberta joined the choir, became their organist, was very active in the Lay Organization and traveled to local area Conference and Connectional Lay meetings. She also served in the women’s Missionary Org. and served as the church clerk under two pastors, Rev. Morrison and Rev. Melvin Raynor. Retiring after 30 years of service with the IRS, she then moved back to New Jersey. Shortly after arriving in NJ, she joined Grant AME Church in Chesilhurst, where her son and family attended. While at Grant AME, she served as Steward Board Secretary, Pianist for the Gospel Chorus, Secretary of the Missionary Org., President of the Lay Org. and then Church Clerk. As time moved on, in 1998, she went to live with her daughter Jane in Mt. Laurel, NJ. She decided that she wanted to worship with her grandson, Pastor Atiba Rose, at Mt. Calvary Baptist Church where her son Burns, and daughter Jane, worshipped. She quickly became active in ministry there. She was active at Mt. Calvary until the Master decided that He was ready for her to join Him around the throne of God. She leaves to mourn, one brother, Donald; her children, Jane, Burns III (LaVerne), Lillian Esposito and Albert (Carmen); her grandchildren, Jymi Jones, Jerri Hart (John), Burns IV, Aaron (Mary Ellen), Atiba Sr. (Crissy), Ayana Paskins Rose, Jeffrey Jenkins, Leslie Jenkins (Toni), Wade Jenkins (deceased), Jessica Esposito, Jennifer Forrler (Dave), Andrea and Jennifer Rose, and Michael Jennings (Qena); her great-grandchildren, Abasa (Nazomi) Phillips, Jasmine (Eddie) Diaz, Ashley and Allen Rose, Aaron Jr. and Ward Schetter, Atiba Jr., Ahmad, Isaiah and Isaac Rose, Alexis, Chad Jr., Chase, Alecia, and Chance Paskins, Jerome and Shardell Harris, Morgan Gilbert, Tony Norman, Andia Anderson, Creadell, Jarrell and Naki Webb, Ryan, Kadin, and Addison Jennings; great-great grandchildren, Aniah and Kadin Norman, Zen Phillips, Gray Diaz, Charlotte and Violet Forrler; and a host of nephews, nieces, cousins and friends; also a special long time friend, Sister Mariam Mitchell, and the Mt. Calvary Baptist and Grant AME church families. PRAISE GOD!!!