Obituary of Nazzarene Rahorcsak

Nazzarene Marchione Rahorcsak Nazzarene Marchione Rahorcsak, 89, of Rome, passed away on Saturday, February 14, 2009 after a lengthy illness. She was born on January 11, 1920 in Rome, New York, the daughter of Rosario and Loretta Paliotta Marchione and was educated in Rome public schools. She worked in the family grocery store in East Rome and lived in the home she was born for her entire life, prior to her illness. On October 26, 1941, she married John Rahorcsak in St. John the Baptist Church. He predeceased her on December 24, 2004. Naz and her husband owned and operated the Acme Studio from 1946 until 2000 from their home at 509 East Dominick Street. Over the course of their career together, they were responsible for photographing thousands of weddings, school pictures, and family portraits. Prior to widespread use of color film, Naz painstakingly hand-colored and tinted the photographs for their customers. Naz was a communicant of St. John the Baptist Church and a member of many organizations, including the Marion Guild and the Business and Professional Women's Club. She was also and avid gardener and has a garlic bulb named after her. The "Nazzarena," cultivated from her original bulb grown in Rome, in farmed and sold in the Washington, D.C. area. She is survived by her daughter, Joanne Scott, of Rome; son, Andy Rahorcsak, of Provincetown, Ma; two grandchildren, Paul Geoffrey Scott, of Richmond, Va, and Andrea Austing, of Orlando, FL; and three great grandchildren. The family wishes to acknowledge the many kindnesses extended by the staff of the Betsy Ross Rehabilitation Center, where Naz was a resident since 2004. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday at 9:45 a.m. from the Nicholas J. Bush Funeral Home, Inc., 218 W. Court St., and at St. John the Baptist Church at 10:30 a.m., where relatives and friends are invited to attend. Burial will be in St. John's Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home on Tuesday from 4-7 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to the Rome Humane Society, P.O. Box 4572, Rome, NY 13442