Barbara DeSevo Rizzo, 83, a longtime resident of Pompton Plains, died at home Thursday, October 15, 2020 surrounded by her husband, children, and grandchildren.
Born in Jersey City and summered in Spring Lake, Barbara was the daughter of Edward and Eleanor DeSevo. She graduated St. Dominic Academy, Jersey City and Ladycliff College in Highland Falls, New York.
Barbara's first teaching position was in North Bergen where she met music teacher, Jacques Rizzo. Feigning that she didn't know how to play piano, she asked him for a lesson, but quickly admitted that she already knew how to play well. The two soon fell in love and were married in 1963.
After briefly living in North Bergen and Clifton, Barbara and Jacques settled in Pompton Plains in 1967 where they raised their daughter and son. When her children started secondary school, she taught at Our Lady of Lourdes School in Paterson, and then for many years at Paterson School #6 as an eighth grade Language Arts teacher.
Barbara was an active parishioner of Our Lady of Good Counsel Roman Catholic Church in Pompton Plains, where she served as head of the Lector Ministry for many years. She previously served as the parish's Religious Education Coordinator and regularly volunteered in the parish office. She was also instrumental in the production of the parish's yearly Nativity Pageant, and her hard work paid off with a beautiful event every December.
Family was the center of Barbara's life and she loved being with her husband, children, grandchildren and extended family. As the eldest of the cousins in her generation, Barbara knew much of the family history, and enjoyed getting together with her cousins each year and sharing her knowledge.
Over 57 years of marriage, Barbara and Jacques were able to share many special times together and enjoyed traveling throughout Europe and the Caribbean. Enjoying the arts, they held subscriptions to Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Opera for over twenty-five years, and regularly visited museums and attended shows in New York City.
Born in Jersey City and summered in Spring Lake, Barbara was the daughter of Edward and Eleanor DeSevo. She graduated St. Dominic Academy, Jersey City and Ladycliff College in Highland Falls, New York.
Barbara's first teaching position was in North Bergen where she met music teacher, Jacques Rizzo. Feigning that she didn't know how to play piano, she asked him for a lesson, but quickly admitted that she already knew how to play well. The two soon fell in love and were married in 1963.
After briefly living in North Bergen and Clifton, Barbara and Jacques settled in Pompton Plains in 1967 where they raised their daughter and son. When her children started secondary school, she taught at Our Lady of Lourdes School in Paterson, and then for many years at Paterson School #6 as an eighth grade Language Arts teacher.
Barbara was an active parishioner of Our Lady of Good Counsel Roman Catholic Church in Pompton Plains, where she served as head of the Lector Ministry for many years. She previously served as the parish's Religious Education Coordinator and regularly volunteered in the parish office. She was also instrumental in the production of the parish's yearly Nativity Pageant, and her hard work paid off with a beautiful event every December.
Family was the center of Barbara's life and she loved being with her husband, children, grandchildren and extended family. As the eldest of the cousins in her generation, Barbara knew much of the family history, and enjoyed getting together with her cousins each year and sharing her knowledge.
Over 57 years of marriage, Barbara and Jacques were able to share many special times together and enjoyed traveling throughout Europe and the Caribbean. Enjoying the arts, they held subscriptions to Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Opera for over twenty-five years, and regularly visited museums and attended shows in New York City.
Barbara DeSevo Rizzo, 83, a longtime resident of Pompton Plains, died at home Thursday, October 15, 2020 surrounded by her husband, children, and grandchildren.
Born in Jersey City and summered in Spring Lake, Barbara was the daughter of Edward and Eleanor DeSevo. She graduated St. Dominic Academy, Jersey City and Ladycliff College in Highland Falls, New York.
Barbara's first teaching position was in North Bergen where she met music teacher, Jacques Rizzo. Feigning that she didn't know how to play piano, she asked him for a lesson, but quickly admitted that she already knew how to play well. The two soon fell in love and were married in 1963.
After briefly living in North Bergen and Clifton, Barbara and Jacques settled in Pompton Plains in 1967 where they raised their daughter and son. When her children started secondary school, she taught at Our Lady of Lourdes School in Paterson, and then for many years at Paterson School #6 as an eighth grade Language Arts teacher.
Barbara was an active parishioner of Our Lady of Good Counsel Roman Catholic Church in Pompton Plains, where she served as head of the Lector Ministry for many years. She previously served as the parish's Religious Education Coordinator and regularly volunteered in the parish office. She was also instrumental in the production of the parish's yearly Nativity Pageant, and her hard work paid off with a beautiful event every December.
Family was the center of Barbara's life and she loved being with her husband, children, grandchildren and extended family. As the eldest of the cousins in her generation, Barbara knew much of the family history, and enjoyed getting together with her cousins each year and sharing her knowledge.
Over 57 years of marriage, Barbara and Jacques were able to share many special times together and enjoyed traveling throughout Europe and the Caribbean. Enjoying the arts, they held subscriptions to Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Opera for over twenty-five years, and regularly visited museums and attended shows in New York City.
Born in Jersey City and summered in Spring Lake, Barbara was the daughter of Edward and Eleanor DeSevo. She graduated St. Dominic Academy, Jersey City and Ladycliff College in Highland Falls, New York.
Barbara's first teaching position was in North Bergen where she met music teacher, Jacques Rizzo. Feigning that she didn't know how to play piano, she asked him for a lesson, but quickly admitted that she already knew how to play well. The two soon fell in love and were married in 1963.
After briefly living in North Bergen and Clifton, Barbara and Jacques settled in Pompton Plains in 1967 where they raised their daughter and son. When her children started secondary school, she taught at Our Lady of Lourdes School in Paterson, and then for many years at Paterson School #6 as an eighth grade Language Arts teacher.
Barbara was an active parishioner of Our Lady of Good Counsel Roman Catholic Church in Pompton Plains, where she served as head of the Lector Ministry for many years. She previously served as the parish's Religious Education Coordinator and regularly volunteered in the parish office. She was also instrumental in the production of the parish's yearly Nativity Pageant, and her hard work paid off with a beautiful event every December.
Family was the center of Barbara's life and she loved being with her husband, children, grandchildren and extended family. As the eldest of the cousins in her generation, Barbara knew much of the family history, and enjoyed getting together with her cousins each year and sharing her knowledge.
Over 57 years of marriage, Barbara and Jacques were able to share many special times together and enjoyed traveling throughout Europe and the Caribbean. Enjoying the arts, they held subscriptions to Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Opera for over twenty-five years, and regularly visited museums and attended shows in New York City.
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