Rosalind M. Kopel of Rumson passed away Sept. 9, 2023, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
Born in Newark, Rosalind was devoted to her family, a dear friend to many, and an incredibly talented woman who contributed greatly to society. As an accomplished pianist, she made a guest appearance with the New York Philharmonic at the age of 14.
Rosalind graduated St. Domenic Academy in Caldwell. She continued her education at Fairleigh Dickinson University where she received her degree in education. After college, Rosalind moved to Italy where she studied fine arts at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome and later began her career as a portrait and landscape artist living in Italy and Spain and traveling extensively through Europe and Northern Africa.
Upon returning a few years later, she began her career as a fourth-grade teacher in the Newark Public Schools, where she enjoyed a long career. Rosalind also taught English as a second language in Newark to immigrants from Turkey. During her time as a teacher, she took on the role of restaurant critic with a unique perspective as a young single woman and founded a boutique clothing store called Chic and Sassy in Livingston.
Roz, as she was known to everyone, brought her fondness for travel and adventure to the love of her life, her husband Joe, and her pride and joy, her son Matt. Together they traveled the world and had many memorable moments in far away places. Most recently, despite her health challenges, the family traveled to the Amalfi Coast in 2022 to celebrate Matt’s wedding to Haley, something Roz called her “most magical experience.”
Above all, Roz loved being with her family on holidays or any occasion at all and cooking one of her signature homemade Italian meals.
She is survived by her husband Joseph Kopel; their son and daughter-in-law, Matthew and Haley Kopel, Rumson; her sister Marilyn Gibson, Morganville; and her nieces and their husbands, Alicia and Leonard Thor and Jaclyn and Justin Terebetski.
Friends and loved ones were invited to visit Sept. 11 at the Holmdel Funeral Home, Holmdel. A Mass of Christian Burial was held Sept. 12 at the Church of St. Catharine, Holmdel. Entombment followed at Holmdel Mausoleum.
This article originally appeared in the September 21 – 27, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
