Obituary of Rose A. Alcorn
Rose Anne Miragliotta Alcorn, 91, of Montville, NJ, cherished wife, mother, grandmother (Nana), sister, aunt, godmother and friend passed away peacefully January 20, 2026, following one year to the day after her beloved husband George. She was surrounded by her family in the final days and weeks, and treasured the visits and memories shared over the holidays and until the very end.
Rose was born April 18, 1934 in Lodi, New Jersey to Antonio and Maria Miragliotta, and grew up in Carlstadt and Wood-Ridge in Bergen County. She graduated from Wood-Ridge High School, where she won the rare (perhaps unequalled) combination of the Babe Ruth Award as best athlete and Senior Class Flirt.
Rose had a successful professional career through the 1950s as a senior executive assistant at several companies, most notably the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. In 1962, while working at ARDE Incorporated, an aerospace company in northern New Jersey, Rose met George Alcorn, who pursued her to the ends of the earth (or at least to a “girls weekend” in the Adirondacks, where he secretly managed to secure a cabin, a canoe, and eventually Rose’s heart). They married in November 1964 and moved into their home on John Henry Drive in Montville (in Morris County, or “the farmland” as their Bergen County families considered it), where they would spend the next 60 years together, first raising their three children – Greg, Steven and Regina – and then welcoming spouses and six grandchildren into the family.
Rose was a devoted, energetic and encouraging wife, mother, citizen and parishioner. She was a leader in parents’ organizations in Montville public schools throughout her children’s almost twenty years in the school system and held various roles over decades at St. Pius X Roman Catholic Church, including teaching CCD and serving for many years as a Eucharistic minister. She took up tennis in the 1970s and played regularly with a great group of friends in town and especially at the family’s treasured Lake Rickabear, a daily summer tradition made possible by Rose’s earlier years at Curtiss-Wright, which owned the lake and club for decades. In her later years, she was a dedicated volunteer at St. Clare’s Hospital in Denville. Most recently, she was proud to be selected as a Resident Ambassador at Arbor Terrace in Morris Plains, where she and George lived after 60 years in Montville.
Rose was very active and social, as well as gracious and cooperative in all situations. She was also a fierce mom and advocate who did not suffer fools or tolerate inaction or unfairness – either to or by her children or anyone else.
Family and friends were everything to Rose. Her extended family is extraordinary, with dozens of people across four generations getting together five times every year (and that’s just for starters). These gatherings have been happening for more than 60 years, started by Rose’s late father “Grandpa M”, carried on by her and her siblings and their spouses (Mary and Robert, Joe and Ellie, Tony and Karen), and now their many offspring. The Miragliottas’ Sicilian roots are a source of great pride, camaraderie and love among everyone in this large and loving extended family. Rose also had a warm and caring relationship with George’s family, especially his mother Anne.
In addition to her 60-year loving marriage to George, and keeping three kids on the rails for 20-30 years (probably longer), Rose forged and nurtured strong relationships with friends who became family. Among these and still with us are Rosemarie Cassell, her dear friend from high school in Wood-Ridge and godmother to Regina, whose family the Alcorns grew up with as cousins and “Aunt Rosemarie and Uncle Clay”; and Josephine “Aunt Jo” Falzarano, who with her husband “Uncle Pat” welcomed Rose and George to John Henry Drive in 1964 – the two families never looked back, and Josephine was able to join Rose’s 90th birthday celebration in 2024.
Rose is survived by her children and their spouses Greg and Karen (Rose) Alcorn, Steven and Tanya (Botelho Silva) Alcorn, and Regina Alcorn Browne and Paul Browne; six adored and adoring grandchildren (Andie, Kate and Lizzie from Greg and Karen, and Grace, Benjamin and Amelia from Steven and Tanya); her brother Tony and his wife Karen; sister-in-law Ellie (wife of Rose’ brother Joe); and an incredibly close and supportive extended family across generations on both the Miragliotta and Alcorn sides. She was pre-deceased by her parents, Antonio and Maria, her sister Mary and husband Robert Demicco, and her brother Joe.
Sincere thanks to all who have been part of making Rose’s life such a celebration of love, joy and laughter. May the light she shared live on in our memories.
We will gather in the coming months to honor Rose and her legacy; details to follow. For anyone who would like to support one of her favorite causes, please visit Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (www.alexslemonade.org – pediatric cancer research and care), St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (www.stjude.org – pediatric cancer research and care) or Susan G. Komen (www.komen.org – breast cancer awareness and research).
Arrangements were under the care of Dangler Funeal Home, Morris Plains, NJ.
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