Rose Allegra Berté passed away peacefully on January 20, 2024, with her family by her side, just shy of her 90th birthday, after an extended, courageous battle with dementia and Parkinson’s Disease. Rose was born in the Bronx in 1934 to Carmella Strazzeri Allegra and Agatino Allegra, both originally from Giardini Naxos, Italy. In 1963, Rose met the love of her life, Frank Berté of Pleasantville, New York, and on June 28, 1964, Frank and Rose were married at St. Barnabas Church in the Bronx and have been happily married for almost 60 years. They lived in Pleasantville for 43 years in a house that Frank and his brothers built on King Street, where they raised their two children, Lisa (Berté) Dempsey and Paul Berté. After retiring, they moved to Rye in 2007 to be closer to their children and grandchildren.
After graduating from Walton High School in the Bronx, New York, Rose fondly remembered her days working as a paralegal in a Manhattan law firm, which shaped her into the strong, confident woman we all knew Rose to be. After being a stay-at-home mom, Rose reentered the workforce as the office manager in a real estate firm in Pleasantville, New York.
Rose was a devoted, loving wife, mother, and grandmother who loved spending time with her family and friends. She enjoyed taking care of her grandchildren, attending their various activities, entertaining friends at the lake house they built in Smallwood, New York, and traveling. She and Frank became very active with the Rye Seniors, where she made many new and close friends. Rose was a longtime, devout parishioner of Holy Innocents Church and Our Lady of Pompeii Chapel in Pleasantville, as well as Resurrection Church in Rye.
Rose is survived by her husband Frank, daughter Lisa (Brian), son Paul, and four grandchildren: Jeffrey Dempsey, Lauren Dempsey, Jonathan Berté, and Samantha Berté, as well as many in-laws and relatives. She was predeceased by her parents Carmella Allegra and Agatino Allegra, and her brother, Joseph Allegra. A wake will be held on Monday, January 22, from 3:00 – 8:00 PM at Graham Funeral Home in Rye, and a Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Resurrection Church in Rye on Tuesday, January 23, at 10 AM, followed by a burial at All Souls Cemetery in Pleasantville. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Rye Seniors, 281 Midland Avenue, Rye, New York 10580.
The family would especially like to thank the doctors, nurses, and staff at White Plains Hospital for their compassionate care during her final days.
