Rosa Maria Jiménez (nee Soto), 97, passed away on November 15, 2024. Beloved wife and mother, and devoted leader and teacher, she set an example for her family of how much can be achieved through sheer tenacity, hard work and dedication.

Born into rural poverty in Humacao on the east coast of Puerto Rico, Rosa was the first in her family to complete high school, and graduated as class valedictorian. 

With few opportunities open to her, she made her way to New York City in the early 1950’s. Because she was fully bilingual in Spanish and English, she was able to gain employment first with Teacher’s College at Columbia University, followed by a stint with the medical records office at the United Nations.

Rosa temporarily left the working world when she married and started her family – but this was only a brief pause in her upward climb.

Determined to reach her dream of a college education, she enrolled at Fordham University to begin her Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts at age 40, which she completed at night and on weekends by 1975. She was the first in her family to earn a Bachelor’s Degree.

This led to work with the NYC Department of Education, initially as a paraprofessional at Theodore Roosevelt High School in the Bronx. While working full time, she attended Lehman College part time to earn a Master’s Degree in Education by 1978.She was the first in her family to earn a Master’s Degree.

From there she became a tenured social studies teacher in the Bilingual Program both at Theodore Roosevelt and at John F. Kennedy High Schools in the Bronx, from where she ultimately retired in 1999.

Upon retirement, Rosa frequently opted in for substitute teaching because she enjoyed being around the students and missed the camaraderie of her fellow educators. With her free time, she studied French at the L'Alliance New York: French Cultural Center, and spent countless hours as a volunteer at the Museum of Natural History's Butterfly Exhibit and General Information Desk as a Spanish translator.

Rosa often spoke of her love of America, and how it is the one place where someone starting with little can still strive for a dream if they’re willing to work for it.

Rosa was predeceased by her devoted husband Eugene, and her brothers Luis, Ismael, and Juan Ramon. She is survived by her son Eugene Jr., her daughter Alexandria, her granddaughter Niamh, her sister Maria, her brother Luis Fernando, and numerous nieces, nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews.

Wake at Riverdale-on-Hudson Funeral Home, Friday November 22, 5 – 8 pm also the morning of Saturday November, 23, 9 am – 10 am at the funeral home followed by burial at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, 10 West Stevens Ave, Hawthorne NY 10532.