Rose Marie Sponholtz, age 80 years, of Raritan Township, NJ, died peacefully on Tuesday, July 27, 2021 at her home, under the caring watch of Hunterdon Hospice.

Born in Trenton, NJ, April 19, 1941, Rose was raised in Trenton and had formerly lived for many years in Hopewell and Flemington, NJ prior to moving to Raritan Township twelve years ago.

A 1959 graduate of Princeton High School, Rose was formerly a Teacher’s Aide at Hopewell Elementary School. She also served as a telephone operator at both the North Princeton Developmental Center and the Trenton Psychiatric Center. However most people will know and remember Rose as the hard-working and always smiling face as the co-owner and operator of Rose & Chubby’s Luncheonette in Hopewell, NJ from 1975-1990.

Growing up with challenging circusmtances made Rose realize the value of hard work and also engrained in her a sense of empathy and compassion for all peoples. Whereas many would use tough times as an excuse, Rose never looked back other than to use her life experience as a means to teach compassion and understanding.

A true people person, Rose loved to cook and used food and mealtime as a way of uniting people. She had a tremendous amount of hobbies and enjoyed spending time bowling, playing Bingo and enjoying the slots in Atlantic City. She greatly enjoyed the beach and was an avid fan of Elvis and John Wayne. Dancing was also a favorite pasttime. In fact, she appeared on the classic television show, American Bandstand, several times and her jitterbug was legendary!

Faith was important to Rose, and she was heavily involved with the Hopewell United Methodist Church for many years and served as its secretary for a period of time.

During her later years, she enjoyed traveling and spending time in New Jersey with her daughter, as well as with her son and family in Marion, NC where she formed many loving friendships.

Surviving are her son and daughter-in-law, Dr. William Robert Sponholtz III and Dr. Debra Sponholtz; her daughter, Nancy Esther Sponholtz; her grandchildren, Duncan Treadwell and Ryan Gardner; the father of her children, her former husband, William Robert Sponholtz, Jr. and his wife, Claudia; her faithful companion, Caety the dog; several extended family members; and many friends.

A celebration of Rose’s life will take place on Monday, August 23, 2021 from 3:00-6:00 p.m. at Chubby’s Luncheonette, 1 Railroad Place, Hopewell, NJ 08525. Everyone is invited to stop by for food and fellowship and to share stories of Rose’s amazing life.

Cremation at the Chapel of Somerset Hills Memorial Park Crematory and final interment took place privately under the care and direction of  Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington, NJ.

You are encouraged to visit Rose’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 may be made to Hunterdon Hospice, via mail to the Hunterdon Healthcare Foundation, 9100 Wescott Drive, Suite 202, Flemington, New Jersey 08822, or online by clicking HERE.

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