'Symbol of Hope' at FDU Honors Slain Staff Member

Members of the Fairleigh Dickinson University community wore green Tuesday to honor Rosaria Andraka, a staff member on the university's College at Florham campus who was murdered last week in her Parsippany home.

"The University community will join sorority Zeta Tau Alpha in wearing green as a symbol of hope on Tuesday, Feb. 5 in honor of FDU College at Florham staff member Rose Andraka, who died tragically earlier this week," the college said in a message on its Facebook page. "Counselors continue to be on hand for walk-in sessions and support during this difficult time."

Andraka, 43, was killed by gunshot wounds and her husband, Chester Andraka, 46, committed suicide, according to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office. Chester Andraka, a retired Caldwell police officer and part-time adjunct criminology professor at FDU, was a security official for Novartis.

A funeral service for the couple was held Monday at St. Christopher's Church in Parsippany, where their son and daughter, who attend FDU, eulogized their parents.

An obituary for the couple says they "encountered much happiness in their lives" and had bright personalities and welcoming arms that touched many people. Memorial contributions can be made to the family, it says.

Rosaria Andraka, the honors program coordinator on the College at Florham campus, "worked at Fairleigh Dickinson University for nine years, and was loved by every student who encountered her smiling face," the obituary says.