Rosangela Veloso Martinho
Postumo Marshal - 2015
Rosangela Veloso Martinho was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 17th, 1962 to Portuguese parents. After a brief stint in Brazil her family decided to immigrate to the United States in 1965, eventually settling in Elizabeth, New Jersey where she would live all her life. From an early age, Rose knew her value of hard work and had a very strong work ethic. While she started her career right out of high school as a bank teller at a neighborhood bank, through sheer hard work and determination she eventually attained a position of Vice President of a major bank. She also utilized her expertise in banking and finance as a member of the Garwood Chamber of Commerce. The demands of having such positions, however, did not deter her from giving her time generously to the Portuguese community. In the late 1990s, Rose volunteered to be the Treasurer of the Portuguese Instructive Social Club in Elizabeth, a position she successfully held for several years. A devout Catholic, Rose also volunteered for several years as a member of the St. Anthony Society at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Elizabeth. She valued her time greatly with these groups and was very aware of the important role they served in strengthening the Portuguese community.
In 2008, at the age of 46, Rose was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) a terminal illness that affects only 1 in 25,000 people in the United States. Over the course of two years she gradually lost the ability to speak, walk, even eat, and on July 12, 2010 she passed away at home surrounded by family, leaving behind her husband, two children, and parents. While her life was cut short by ALS, she leaves behind a legacy of devotion to family, church, and community.