Iris Gonzalez Barrese, 65, of Monroe died Friday, Dec. 21, at the home of her daughter in Princeton Junction.
Born in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico, Mrs. Barrese lived in Wakefield, N.Y., and Yonkers, N.Y., before moving to the Rossmoor community in Monroe in 1991.
She was employed for a few years as a hospice nurse’s aide in Tuckahoe, N.Y., retiring in 1991. Previously, she was employed by Hudson Bay Fur Co. in New York City for 22 years. At one time, she co-owned Leila’s Salon in Wakefield with her sister.
Mrs. Barrese was a member of bocci and Italian-American clubs, both of Rossmoor.
Surviving are her husband, Anthony; a daughter, Maritza Avagliano of Princeton Junction; a son, Dr. Michael Franco of Houston; a sister, Leila Rodriguez of Miami Beach; and three grandchildren, Kristin and Danielle Avagliano and Eric Franco.
Services were held on Thursday, Dec. 20, at Lester Memorial Home in Jamesburg, followed by a funeral liturgy at Nativity of Our Lord Church in Monroe. Burial was at Holy Cross Burial park in East Brunswick.
