Roselia “Duchess” Lake, the first female president of the Hopewell Fire Company, passed away on October 30, 2024 at the age of 88.
Born on February 4, 1936 in Jersey City, NJ to Captain John and Roselia (Boudiette) Bohle, Duchess was given her lifelong nickname shortly after being born. She briefly lived in Hoboken, NJ before her parents moved to a small farm in Delaware Township, NJ. Duchess attended Lambertville High School. She married Alton W. (Bill) Lake in 1953.
Duchess served the Hopewell Valley community by volunteering for countless organizations. She joined the Hopewell Fire Department in 1978 and served as the Chief of the Emergency Medical Unit. In addition to becoming the first Female President of the Hopewell Fire Company, she was a also Member of the Ladies Auxiliary and served as their President for several terms. Chief Lake was a Life Member of the Hopewell Fire Department.
In 1983 Chief Lake helped with the EMU’s first-ever delivery of a baby. Duchess also worked as a paraprofessional for 46 years at the Hopewell Elementary School where she helped generations of students achieve their educational goals.
Flags at the Hopewell Valley September 11th and Emergency Services Memorial have been lowered to half staff in honor of her lifetime of service to our community.
Although she was predeceased by her husband Bill in 1987, an infant son and her father, mother and brother John Bohle, Duchess is survived by her children Cynthia (Andrew) Menkes of Cape Coral, FL and Brian (Kelly) Lake of Hopewell, NJ. She was known as MamMam to her grandchildren; Nicole (Rick) Slack, Brandon Lake, Ryan Lake and Marissa Rainieri and to her great-grandchildren; Natalie, Benjamin, Carter, Noah and Savannah. She is also survived by her brother Donald Bohle and sister Anita (Maurice) Allard and many beloved nieces, nephews and cousins. We pray that she rests in peace. Rest easy Chief, we’ll take it from here.
Visitation will be Friday, November 15, 2024 from 5-7pm at the Wilson Apple Funeral Home, 2560 Pennington Rd. Pennington NJ 08534. Mass of Christian burial will be at 11:00 am on Saturday, November 16, 2024 at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, 54 E Prospect St. Hopewell NJ 08525. The burial will follow at the Highland Cemetery, Hopewell.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Duchess, visit the Wilson Apple site
