Rose Werkman died in the early morning hours of January 8, 2024, at her home in Blooming Grove, which is exactly where she wanted to be when she took her last breath. She was 97 years old.
Rosemarie DiBenedetto Werkman was born and grew up on Main Street in Washingtonville. In many ways, she was Washingtonville — the last of a generation that walked past Woods Market and Russ Hallock’s police kiosk and the old Moffat Library on their way to school. Sometimes, when the creek was frozen over, she and the other village kids ice skated to school.
Rose’s mother died when she was six; her father when she was nine. Rose, the youngest of six children, was raised to adulthood by her sister Fedela and her brother Alex, better known in the village as Alex the Barber.
After World War II ended, she married Hank Werkman, a war hero who had lost a leg at the Battle of the Bulge and had earned the Silver Star capturing 200 Nazi soldiers single-handed. Long story how that happened.
Together, the two settled in a house they had built on East Main Street in Washingtonville, about a half mile from her childhood home in the center of the village. There they raised a family of three children and a couple of dogs. Both Rose and Hank became active community members in the village’s Little League, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, the planning board, Easter egg hunts, July 4 celebrations, Halloween costume contests, and Christmas parties. They and a wide circle of friends found that any occasion would do for a party — a ping pong contest in the Werkman basement, an evening poker party upstairs, a summer day of lounging by the pool at nearby Feller’s Resort, the annual Werkman family clambake.
Rose worked as a clerk in the Washingtonville School District for several years, first at Taft Elementary School, then at the high school. Her first love, though, was writing poetry. After publishing a book of her poems when she was in her 70s, she was named Orange County’s Poet Laureate by then-County Executive Eddie Diana.
Rose was pre-deceased by her husband Hank; her daughter Kris Jaroka; her son Rik Werkman; her grandson Brendan Mullally; and her siblings Clem DeSalvo, Alex DiBenedetto, Fedela Decker, Joe DiBenedetto, and Tony DiBenedetto.
She is survived by her daughter Beth Quinn and her husband Bob; her grandson Dr. Sean Mullally and his fiancé Rose Blodgett; great-grandchildren Sam, Bryce, Austin, and Devon Mullally; nieces Barbara Dentato and Jo-Ellen DeSalvo of Westchester County; and nephew Lou DeSalvo of Kansas.
We would like to thank the truly kind and awesome home care aides of First Choice, who befriended Rose and cared for her during her final months.
Rose’s ashes will be buried beside her husband’s grave at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Washingtonville. A life celebration will be held at a date yet to be determined.