'Made from love.' Toms River 94-year-old crochets for good causes – and for herself

TOMS RIVER – Last month, right after her mother died, Judi Cosentino was the recipient of a surprise delivery at Royal Beauty Supply in Toms River, where she works as a manager.

It was a bag full of handmade blankets, crocheted by 94-year-old Toms River resident Rosa Jakimjuk.

“They’re made beautifully,” Cosentino said. “It was so sweet, very comforting.”

Cosentino gave one to her 83-year-old father and one to her sister, who lives with her and has Down syndrome. Her colleague Alison Cundiff gave one to her own mother, who lives in assisted living. Rosa and her daughter Rose Jakimjuk, a longtime Toms River resident, are regular customers of the shop. Late last year, they’d gifted a blanket to another employee who’d just given birth to a girl.

“You know it’s made from love,” Cosentino said. “And it just makes you feel warm and fuzzy.”

Despite the onset of Parkinson’s disease that causes her right hand to shake and the creeping in of some memory loss, Rosa produces two to three blankets a week. Her handiwork gets donated to senior-citizens centers, hospitals and neighbors throughout the area.

Sitting in her favorite easy chair, her fingers working a crochet hook with impressive speed and precision on her latest blanket, Rosa expressed deep satisfaction with her vocation.

“All day, this is what I do,” she said. “I’m happy someone can use it.”

After immigrating to the United States from Germany following World War II, Rosa Jakimjuk worked as an emergency room nurse at Passaic Beth Israel Hospital (now St. Mary’s General Hospital, Passaic). She noticed other nurses crocheting in their spare moments – and donating their work to patients. That’s where she picked it up.

Since moving in with her daughter Rose five years ago, Rosa mostly makes blankets but mixes in a few scarves. A fall and a broken wrist a couple of years back hardly slowed her down.

“With a cast and a sling, she still was crocheting,” Rose Jakimjuk said.“It was insane.”

Rose firmly believes the hobby is adding quality years to her mother’s life.

“It helps tremendously,” she said. “The counting keeps her sharp. She’s not a TV watcher. This keeps her going.”

Karen Lamb, a close family friend, said every time she visits – every single time – Rosa is crocheting away.

“When I’m your age, I want to be right where you are,” Lamb told Rosa when she dropped in last week. “Sitting in a chair, doing (good) for others.”

Rosa Jakimjuk has spent a lifetime serving others. Upon retiring from nursing, she worked as a school crossing guard until the age of 83. This is her final favor to society, one she’ll keep doing for as long as she can.

“What else should I do?” she said. “This makes me happy. Somebody is happy and I’m happy.”

Jerry Carino is community columnist for the Asbury Park Press, focusing on the Jersey Shore’s interesting people, inspiring stories and pressing issues. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Toms River NJ woman crochets for seniors, hospitals, and neighbors