On June 23rd, 2026 our mom, Emilia Roth went home to be with Jesus. She peacefully left this world and was received into the loving arms of our Heavenly Father who has known her for her whole life; And now in the beautiful mystery of eternity she is fully known by Him.

She was an amazing mom to her two sons Daryl and Craig, Nana to her 6 grandchildren, Laura, Jason, Megan, Rebekah, Adrianna and Marina and great Nana to her and 13 great grandchildren. Her story is has so many wonderfully unique chapters and layers that it is hard to summarize for those who did not know her well. She was the second oldest of 4 sisters and the last one to pass on. Born to a vivacious Puerto Rican mother (Gabriella), and an Italian father whom she never knew, but raised by her father Harry Ross. She was born in New York City in 1934 and grew up on the upper West Side of Manhattan ( what would later be called Spanish Harlem). She grew up loving dancing and Latin music and sharing life with a circle of dear girlfriends some of whom she stayed connected to until this day. She was introduced to our father by one of these friends and married Michael LaRusso. They lived in the Bronx, where they started our little family of four. We moved to Yonkers, New York in 1968. Later that same year our parents divorced and mom embarked on the long journey of raising two boys essentially by herself.

Mom was a secretary having received her the training after high school. She excelled at typing, taking dictation and short hand and was utilized greatly for her bilingual ability. She worked her way up the ranks and became an executive secretary for an oil company and worked full time while raising us which was no small feat especially in the 60’s and 70’s. She made our broken family a place of joy and fun all the while teaching the two of us how to do life. How to manage on the little money we had while never feeling like we didn’t have enough. We learned how to cook meals, wash dishes and do laundry and other chores as part of belonging to this family of 3. She made sure we did well in school and attended every concert, play, and football game we participated in always bragging about her sons to whoever would listen and even to those who wouldn’t! Even though mom was small, she was mighty in how she took on the hardships of life always seeming to find a way by the grace of God. Sometime in 1976 she committed her life to Jesus and she began to follow Him with all her heart and soul and during a 2 year span the 3 of us became Jesus followers and were enveloped by a small community of fellow believers at Dunwoodie Baptist Church in Yonkers. We thrived as a family and learned to lean on each other and trust God together receiving from Him all that we needed and more. 

Mom remarried Robert Roth in 1978 right at the time she would become an empty nester with the both of us off to college. Mom stayed in community with our little church, which was family to her in our absence, until she moved to Ancram, NY with Bob and lived there until she moved to Illinois in 2018. Mom was always present; For every graduation, important game, dance recital, performance, Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays, weddings and reunions, back and forth from New York to West Virginia and New York to Illinois. She poured every ounce of herself into not only being present, but being a central and vital part of her son’s, grandchildren’s and great grandchildren’s lives. The events that marked our lives would not have been complete without Mom / Nana being there. Mom didn’t know how to do life half way! She gave all that she had her entire life to those she loved. Gifts and phone calls, amazing meals, Christmas cookies and pound cakes, bible verses, dresses and American girl dolls, soccer and baseball stuff, always delivering the special present for each grandchild. She gave and gave and gave and never held back even at her own expense financially. Somehow this single mom, on a secretary’s salary managed to get us both through college, then Medical school for Daryl and Nursing school for Craig. She helped us get started with our first homes. If there was a need, even unspoken, mom would figure out a way. Always selfless, living out for decades what unconditional love looks like. It’s that simple and beautiful!

She really didn’t slow down much until she was well into her 80’s pouring herself into her grandchildren and great grand children while at the same time making a new group of friends whom she cherished in upstate NY. Birthdays cards and special gifts always with a reminder that she was praying God’s blessings over us, and an exhortation to keep trusting Jesus. She would often sign her cards with a Spanish phrase expressing her love. Mom was probably more of an introvert, but could always rally for a party especially when it involved her family where she would cook, dance, and play with the kids, and of course keep everything perfectly neat and clean.

She was a dear friend to so many and wherever we would go where people knew her they would often comment on what a beloved friend she was to them. At Windsor Park, where she has lived for the past 8 years we heard a constant stream of: “We love your mom”, “your mom is so special”, and most recently, “your mom is our little princess”. 

Mom left her mark on so many people over 91 years and perhaps we will never fully know the extent of the impact she had. We do know, however, that mom left a legacy not only for those of us that remain, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, but for generations to come and for eternity. She was dearly loved and will be dearly missed. We know she is at peace smiling from heaven reunited with her mom and our Nana whom she could not wait to see again. We will see you again mom, and until then, dive into the mystery of the Savior who has not only prepared a place for you but has made it especially clean and neat…Just like you would like it.

Emilia is survived by her sons Daryl LaRusso and Craig LaRusso. We are planning on a memorial service and celebration of her life during the 1st week of August. Please check back to find the date, time and location when it is determined.