Barbara S. O'Desky

BARBARA S. JEWETT O'DESKY

Barbara S. O'Desky of Bridgewater, and wife of the late Sheldon O'Desky, passed away on June 27, 2018 surrounded by loved ones. Mrs. O'Desky was also predeceased by her former husbands Nicholas J. Ruggiano and Francis I. Haltli.
Ms. O'Desky was born in Passaic, NJ in 1942. Ms. O'Desky was raised in Westfield, NJ, and graduated from Westfield High School in 1959. She attended Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison, and graduated from Berkley Business School. She lived in Scotch Plains from 1964 to 1978, Cranford from 1978 to 1990, Westfield from 1990 to 1993, Laurence Harbor from 1993 to 2004, Somerset from 2004 to 2014, and moved to Bridgewater in 2014.
After graduation, Ms. O'Desky worked for Allstate Insurance Co. for three years. She continued her business career at Merck & Co., from 1964-1968 when she left to raise her children. She returned to Merck in 1978. At the time of her early disability retirement in 1991, Ms. O'Desky was Manager of Publications for the Corporate Public Affairs Department.
Ms. O'Desky leaves behind her son, John H. Ruggiano and her daughter, Elizabeth ("Betsy") DeChellis and her husband, Daniel DeChellis, along with her beloved grandsons Daniel, Jr. and John Paul. The DeChellis family also resides in Bridgewater. Ms. O'Desky is the daughter of the late Howard and Frances Jewett of Westfield. She is also survived by her sister, Linda C., and her husband, Gary G. Thorn of Cranford and their children Amy L. Thorn of Belmar, Jeffrey G. Thorn and his family of Maryland, and David L. Thorn of Colorado. She is also survived by multiple cousins and many friends.
Ms. O'Desky was a member of the First Baptist Church in Westfield. She was a member of various professional organizations as well as the Jewett Family of America Historical Society, was a member of the Board of Trustees for the Bridgepoint Condominium Association and also a Republican County Committeewoman while living in Laurence Harbor, served as a Notary Republic, and was Reunion Chairman for the Westfield High School Class of 1959 for 50 years.
Memorial donations can be made to St. Jude's Children's Hospital.