Obituary of Emily Roughgarden

Emily Roughgarden, formally DeGise, nee Pallotta, 81, of Mt. Arlington, NJ passed away peacefully on October 13th at home.

There will be two services held in her memory. The first service will be held on Tuesday, October 16th at 10:00 am at Out Lady of the Lake RC Church, 8 Windemere Avenue, Mt. Arlington, NJ. Local arrangements are entrusted to Leber-Lakeside Funeral Home, 150 Landing Road, Landing, NJ. For further information and to share a fond memory of Emily, please visit www.leberlakeside.com

There will also be a Memorial Gathering on Friday, October 19th from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm at Vander Platt Funeral Home on Saddle River Road in Fair Lawn, NJ with interment immediately following at Calvary Cemetery in Paterson, NJ. 

Emily was born in Paterson, NJ to the late Mario and Anna Pallotta on May 8, 1937. She married Ken Roughgarden on September 23, 2006 in Netcong, NJ. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and friend. Emily loved life and lived it to the fullest. She was an active board member on her condo Association, newsletter contributor and former PTA president in Fair Lawn, NJ. Emily was well known for her wonderful cooking, her joy of travel, her love of history, movies and laughter but most importantly, she cherished her time with her devoted family.

Emily is preceded in death by her brother, Mario Pallotta and her first beloved husband Joe DeGise.

Emily is survived by her beloved husband, Ken, her daughter, Kristi (DeGise) Austin and son-in-law, Charles Austin; her son, Joe DeGise II and daughter-in-law, Beth Bauer; her son-in-law, Keith Roughgarden and grandchildren, Rachel, Kelly, Missy and Kevin.

For memorial donations, please consider St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or the Lung Cancer Research Foundation.

The Family of Emily Roughgarden wishes to extend our sincere thanks to Dr. Jason Levitz and Oncology & Hematology Specialists of Mountain Lakes for the wonderful and personal care she received.