Rosary L. Sollena, age 78 years, of Raritan Township, NJ, died peacefully on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, under the caring watch of Hunterdon Hospice at Hunterdon Medical Center.

Born on December 28, 1946, in Brooklyn, NY, daughter of the late Nina and Frank Mannino, Rosary attended grammar schools PS 95 and PS 247, graduating from Lafayette High School in 1964. Realizing education was extremely important, she then attended Brooklyn College and graduated with an AS in 1966.

Her working career began in 1967, with a job at 20th Century Fox as a receptionist/secretary. She stayed for two years before leaving in 1969 to follow her soulmate and begin a family.

Matteo Sollena was truly Rosary’s best friend. They married on July 20, 1969 (Moon Day), and honeymooned in Sicily and throughout Italy. Their union of love and friendship grew with the birth of their daughter, Josephine in 1970, and their son, Faro in 1971.

Rosary and Matteo raised their young family in Brooklyn for several years before moving to Delran, NJ, in 1977, where they owned and operated a family food business together.

Life was good for the family until tragedy stuck in November of 1983, when Rosary became a young widow at the age of 37. She found herself having to take care of two teenagers, run a business, and figure out how to live a life without her best friend physically there. As a woman who always did the right thing for others and who never backed down from anything, Rosary, though wounded, did not give up and she made the decision to move close to her parents, Nina and Frank, in Flemington, NJ.

In 1985 she purchased a ranch style home in the same development as her parents and began her new career as the Raritan Township Municipal Government Administrative Assistant. Because of her steadfast dedication to Raritan Township, the ability to adapt quickly, and her unparalleled work ethic, she was quickly promoted to Secretary for the Board of Health.

While working full-time in the Board of Health, in her spare time she studied hard and passed the exam which enabled her to become the Deputy Clerk for Raritan Township.  She continued her studies and would go on to become the Township Clerk for many years. Her work ethic was steadfast, her word was her bond, and she left an indelible mark on everyone she met in her office.

Work was important to Rosary but so was something else…something she learned as a little child in Brooklyn…family is everything! In her spare time, she greatly enjoyed visiting relatives and friends. The suitcase was always packed, and she truly made the most of every day. Atlantic City and Italy were two of her favorite places to visit and create memories.

Having many hobbies in addition to traveling, Rosary loved playing poker, learning how to play at family game nights when she was very young. Playing poker was truly a staple in the family, and she enjoyed playing weekly poker games with her “Wednesday Crew” for over 35 years.

Rosary was also a fixture at Frank’s Pizza in Ringoes, NJ, where she loved helping her cousin, Reno Mannino, on Friday nights by answering the phone, taking orders over the counter, serving others, and just hanging out with Reno and the crew because of the laughter and the camaraderie. Her weekly “regulars” were special to her, and she and they looked forward to the Friday night trips to Frank’s!

Music played an important role in her life, and not only did she love to sing, but she had a beautiful voice and a vault of endless songs that she knew every word to; these songs would make her family and friends smile each time she would sing.

A lifelong New York Yankees fan, some of her happiest memories came during the years the Yankees were in the playoffs (and won the World Series); this was not just because they won, but because everyone would gather to watch the games and have fun. Simply put, anything that brought people together to laugh, reminisce, and have fun, was right up Rosary’s alley.

She loved her old time TV’s shows, but her three all-time favorites were The Golden Girls, The Honeymooners, and The Nanny. Her family remembers her consistently referencing lines from these TV shows and the instantaneous laugher it would generate…”Picture it, Sicily…”.

The community and its well-being were near and dear to Rosary and participating in the support walks for Autism and Cancer each year was very important to her and the entire family. She loved being involved in the Raritan Township Historians group and often got together for bus tours throughout the county.

Faith got Rosary through many difficult life experiences, and she had a particular devotion to Our Lady of Fatima and the Blue Army Shrine in Asbury, NJ. She was a longtime communicant of St. Magdalen Church, Flemington, NJ.

Reflecting on Rosary’s life, her passion and love for her children and grandchildren, as well as everyone she met, is paramount to who she was, is, an always will be. If you knew Rosary, you knew she was one of the most selfless, caring, kind, understanding, witty, brave, strong, confident, resilient, and determined individual’s whose smile radiated and ‘never give up attitude’ inspired. Though she may be gone in the physical sense, she surely lives on in the hearts and in the good actions of all she met.

In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by her two brothers, Anthony and Joseph, as well as by a nephew, Giuseppe.

Surviving is her daughter, Giuseppina Sollena; her son and daughter-in-law, Faro and Maureen Sollena; her grandchildren, Megan Sollena, Matteo Sollena, Tommy Sollena, and Dominic Matteo Bonderenko; her sisters-in-law, Antoinette and Rosella; her brother-in-law, Vito; her nieces and nephews, Pina, Faro, Frank, Marc, Jason, Pia, Matteo, Federica, Maria, and Salvatore; several cousins and extended family; and many dear friends.

Family and friends are welcome to celebrate this most special woman on Thursday, May 29, 2025, from 5:00–7:00 p.m., with a Vigil service and reflections from family at 6:30 p.m. in the Chapel of Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington, NJ.

A Mass of Christian Burial celebrated by Rev. Randy Espinoza will take place on Friday, May 30, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Magdalen de Pazzi Roman Catholic Church, 105 Mine Street Flemington, NJ. Everyone is kindly requested to meet directly at the church on Friday morning beginning at 9:45 a.m. and to please follow the instructions of the Wright & Ford Care Team Family Ambassadors regarding parking.

Burial with her cherished family will take place in the Mannino Family plot at St. Magdalen Cemetery, North Main Street, Flemington, NJ, and all are welcome.

You are encouraged to visit Rosary’s permanent life celebration site at www.wrightfamily.com to light a candle of hope, leave messages of condolence, share words of comfort and recollection, and post photographs of her life.

Memorial contributions in her honor and memory may be made to Hunterdon Behavioral Health. Since 1953, Hunterdon Behavioral Health has been dedicated to providing quality, comprehensive mental health and addiction services, helping individuals achieve emotional and behavioral wellness. Your support will help continue their mission of offering compassionate care and recovery in our community. Please click HERE to make a donation online and kindly select “Behavioral Health” in the drop-down menu. Alternatively you may mail your contribution  c/o Hunterdon Healthcare Foundation, 2100 Wescott Drive, Flemington, NJ 08822.

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Wright & Ford, your local, family owned & operated “Life Celebration Home”

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