Rose Ann C. Letson

Rose Ann Letson (nee Curcillo), 90 years old, formerly of Oceanport, and most recently of Ocean Township, passed away peacefully on May 14th in the presence of her loving family. She was predeceased by her husband, Thomas Francis Letson, Jr., her daughter, Dianne Frances Letson, her sister Angelina Owens and her brother Frank Anthony Curcillo. She is survived by her sons Michael J. Letson, Allenhurst, and Thomas F. Letson, Hazlet; her daughter and son-in-law Tricia Ann Krietzberg and Curtis Krietzberg, Colts Neck; and her daughter Rosanne Letson, Tinton Falls. Rose was a grandmother to six: Christopher Letson, Lily Krietzberg, Ian Krietzberg, Josh Krietzberg, Sam Letson and Abigail Letson, and a great-grandmother to Caden Letson, whose parents are Christopher and Georgie Letson.
Rose was born the second of three children on August 10th, 1934 to Italian immigrants Adeline and Joseph Curcillo in Long Branch. Her family also lived for a short time in Monmouth Beach before moving to Elberon where her father worked as the gardener on a large estate. Rose worked as a camp counselor at a local hotel and as a babysitter in her younger years. A graduate of Long Branch High School, Rose went on to Monmouth Memorial Nursing School where she began a career as a Registered Nurse and met friends for life with many of her fellow nurses. She worked at Monmouth Memorial Hospital, now Monmouth Medical Center, as the Assistant Supervising Nurse of the O.R., and also nursed in the nursing home setting.
On New Year's Eve in 1955, Rose met Thomas Letson, a former Navy man and merchant marine, on a blind date and they fell deeply in love. They married on May 10th of 1958. Rose and Tom were deeply devoted to each other and to their family, going on to raise five children, one of whom, Dianne, had severe disabilities. Rose was more than just a devoted mother to Dianne, but would later become her primary caregiver and her best friend when Dianne became ill at the age of 4. Dianne, who sadly predeceased Rose in 2018 at the age of 58, loved her mother like no other.
As the years went on, Rose would also become a caregiver to her darling Tom as she helped him deal with the challenging physical effects of Multiple Sclerosis. Despite being needed at home to care for both Dianne and Tom, Rose found time to attend football games, wrestling matches, and theatre productions, and also took positions as a school nurse for both Harbor School in Eatontown and Meridian Academy in Colts Neck. Prior to retiring, Rose worked as an Infant Room teacher at Smart Start Daycare Center in Fair Haven, a job that brought her much joy.
Rose was an avid gardener for most of her adult years, and tended a garden that produced a huge harvest of vegetables and fruit. She learned how to can and preserve tomatoes for the best tomato sauce, and she would store enough grape, raspberry and fig jelly to last throughout the winter. Everyone's favorite Christmas gift was a jar of Rose's homemade jelly. She served many years as the Recording Secretary for the Monmouth Memorial Nursing School Alumni Association, for which she planned an annual reunion for her dear nursing friends that continued until 2024. And in her retirement, Rose worked the elections in Oceanport Boro where she enjoyed catching up with all of her friends and neighbors.
Fascinated by her Italian heritage, Rose delighted in cooking Italian dishes and listening to the opera, and was thrilled to have visited Italy once in her lifetime. Rose was a devout Catholic, and in her later years looked forward to regular weekly visits from the Eucharist Ministers from St. Anselm's Catholic Church in Tinton Falls, who would later become her friends.
Rose will be known for her fierce love and devotion to her family, her thoughtfulness and generosity with her friends, and her absolute pride in her work as a nurse, a field with a single purpose to help those who cannot help themselves. She will be dearly missed and forever remembered by all those who knew her.
Visitation will be Sunday, May 18th, from 2 – 5 p.m. and Monday, May 19th, from 11:30 – 12:30 p.m. at the Damiano Funeral Home in Long Branch. A funeral mass will follow on Monday, May 19th, at 1 p.m. at Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church, Long Branch with interment at Mt. Carmel Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, Rose's family kindly requests donations to be sent to the ARC of Monmouth, 1158 Wayside Road, Tinton Falls, NJ 07712.The family invites you to leave a letter of condolence by selecting the Tribute/Guestbook link above.
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of Rose Ann C. Letson, please visit our floral store.