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Light a Candle
Born Rosemary Jean to Egilda (nee Accardo) and Anthony Zezza in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York on Sptember 28, 1942. Rory's father, Tony, was born in Montemilone, a small town in the mountains of Southern Italy, a bit more than half way between Naples and Bari. Her mother was born in the city of Catania, Sicily, on the island's east coast. They each moved with their respective families to New York City, where tehy were married in the late 1930's. The family moved to Los Angeles in 1946 and settled in the working class neighborhood of El Sereno.
Rory became her nickname at a young age because she could not pronounce her own name. She graduated from Ramona Convent High School in 1960 where she had been very involved in academics and extracurricular activities, including student government. It is also where she discovered her life-long love for volunteering.
Rory was married three times, to: Karl Leopold Metzenberg (1964-65), Stanley Boris Halperin (1966-1978), & James Robert Hutton (1985-1996). Rachel was born to Stan and Rory in January of 1970 and Dara followed in March of 1971. She gained a step-daughter, Kelly Hutton (from her last marriage), who has been a part of our family since 1982. Rory also welcomed Rachel and Dara's half-sister, Rebecca Halperin, into their extended family when she was born in 1985.
Rory's volunteerism spanned her entire life. Raised Roman Catholic, she was always encouraged to participate in serving the commuity and those less fortunate than she. Though she left the Church after high school, this value stayed with her. As children, she included Rachel and Dara in her community service by introducing what she called "Mandatory Volunteering" into our family life. She gave time to many people and organizations over the years including Play Mountain Place, Planned Parenthood, Los Angeles Regional Family Planning, The Los Angeles Marathon, LA Leggers (marathon training program), The Hemophilia Foundation, The Crippled Children's Guild, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Foster Youth, and the La Brea Tar Pits/Page Museum of Ice Age Discoveries.
She loved learning and returned to school in her early 40's. It took her until she was 50, but she earned a Bachelor's Degree (with honors) in Business Administration from Woodbury University.
Her hobbies over the years spanned photography, sailing, playing with kids, some cooking (but mostly eating!), needlepoint and macrame, cultural festivals and celebrations of all kinds, bicycling, and, of course, volunteering.
She worked for doctors and in hospital administration for most of her career, which she loved, but she always wanted to be a nurse.
Her favorite charities were St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, ACLU, Planned Parenthood, NAACP, LA Food Bank, Los Angles Women's Center, Alexandria House, CASA, Shriner's Hospitals for Children, Mount Saint Mary's University Scholarship Fund, No Kid Hungry, BLM Los Angeles, and the ASPCA.
Memorial to be held in August 2021 (details pending)
