Rose Rybak

            Rose Kacherian Rybak passed after 71 years of marriage to husband Edward, loving mother of Lynn Kazarian and Constance Shelengian (Richard), cherished grandmother of Lauren Romano (Randy), and adored great granddaughters Taylor and Kristen. Rose was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut to parents John and Mary Kacherian, moving to New York City eleven years later. Her four siblings predeceased her. After completing her studies at Hunter College High School, she attended Hunter College for one year after securing a position in the advertising department of The New York Herald Tribune.

            After her marriage to Edward, she stayed home to raise her daughters but began writing children’s plays which were published by “Plays, The Drama Magazine for Young People.” Her play, “The Day The Moonmen Landed” was included in the 1966 anthology Fifty Plays for Junior Actors edited by Sylvia E. Kamerman. When her children were older, Rose returned to the newspaper world, joining The New York Times. She shared her love of writing with her great granddaughters and would insert their names in her creative story-telling of her Tales of The Magic Leaf.

            Additionally, Rose served on the Board of Trustees for the New York Armenian Home for the Aged in Flushing, N.Y., during which she preserved accounts of the Armenian Genocide by interviewing resident survivors. Upon her retirement, she attended Queens College to complete her interrupted education experience, graduating summa cum laude. She continued her free-lance writing inspired by the many experiences of her husband Edward who had retired from the New York City Police Department as a Captain. During the summer, she loved sitting on the deck and reading at her Long Island beach community summer home. Her play “Whale Ahoy!” was published when Rose was 96 years of age. Rose also wrote and produced two musical stage shows satirizing life at the Independent Living community where she lived outside Philadelphia. Besides traveling, she enjoyed many activities such as playing Scrabble, doing crossword puzzles and cryptograms, group Trivia, singing in chorus, and even playing harmonica at a concert.

            She is survived by a devoted niece Anita Masoian and nephew Andrew Kourajian (Barbara) and other nieces. Rose’s journey was a testament to the power of creativity and endurance. She tried to do as much as she could physically and emphasized the importance of keeping mentally active. Her favorite quote was “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

Friends and family are welcome to attend her viewing form 10am to 11am, Wednesday, 1-28-2026, at St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church, 8701 Ridge Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19128.  Her funeral service will take place at 11am in the church.  Her interment will follow at Arlington Cemetery.

           In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be forwarded to St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church, 8701 Ridge Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19128, or to a charity of their choice.

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