Rosa Bonilla-Herrera

Rosa Bonilla-Herrera was a staunch supporter of education, human rights, and the New York Yankees. Her career as an elementary school teacher in the Bronx and South Huntington left a tremendous impact on thousands of students and colleagues. She was always ready and willing to help out a friend or family member, and while she may have offered some tough love and advice it always came from a deep care for all those in her life. A proud Puerto Rican, she loved Broadway, sushi, baseball, Barbies & toys, school supplies, books, Disney, Hillary Rodham Clinton and politics, and was rarely seen without a Diet Pepsi in hand.

Her marriage to Carlos, who left us in 2021, was full of laughs and adventures, and July 14th, 2026 would have marked 42 years of happiness. Her brothers Gabriel, Ricardo, and Eduardo loved and teased her until the end like proper siblings should. A proud grandma, her two children, Cristina and Carlos, will continue to carry on her legacy and tell her story.

If you would like to honor Rosa's memory, please consider making a donation to Book Fairies, a local organization that sources books for under-resourced communities on Long Island, NYC, and internationally: Book Fairies