Adelaide Greenberg Rosen

Adelaide Greenberg Rosen died on November 23, 2020, at a senior living community near Boston, MA. Born in Brooklyn, NY in 1931, Addie was 89 years old at the time of her death. Her father, Michael Greenberg, emigrated from Bucharest, Romania at the age of 4 and as a young man fought for the US Army in Europe during World War I. Adelaide’s mother, Rose (Meyer) Greenberg, was a NY native, whose parents also emigrated from Bucharest. Addie spent her early years in Brooklyn before her father purchased a hardware store in Lakewood, NJ. The family then lived for many years in an apartment over the store. Her siblings were the late Francine Rissman, JD, and twins Enid Bloch, PhD, and the late Professor William Greenberg. Fran was 4 years Addie’s senior and the twins were 10 years younger. Addie always loved movies, especially her favorite, The Wizard of Oz. In her youth, she was an avid and very successful collector of signed Hollywood star photos. Among her fondest memories was her role as head majorette in the high school marching band. She later reminisced: “I remember believing Lakewood High School was the center of the universe.” Graduating from Rutgers’ Douglass College with a BA in Economics, she worked for Chase Bank and the New York Times.

Adelaide and Leonard Saul Rosen, MD, married in 1955 while he was still in medical school and she began her life’s work of raising their three children, running the household—including the financials—and finding time to become a folk performer singer/guitarist and a community theater actress, playwright, and

choreographer. By 1965, the Rosens built their own house on Fairview Avenue in Woodcliff Lake, NJ where they prospered for 45 years. There she reared Mark, Mitchell, Robin and the family dog Friskie, developed her elegance in fashion and décor, became a decent tennis player and bowler, expanded her guitar skills, and built ever deeper relationships with her many lifelong friends. Addie was a gourmet chef and loved to host beautiful gatherings. Her children enjoyed their mother’s empathy; her energy as a Girl Scout and Cub Scout leader, PTA president and tireless chauffeur; and her intelligence, having never found a homework problem that was unteachable. Addie volunteered for social causes, including recording books and newspapers for the blind. With Len and several other partners, she co-founded and served as Executive Director of the Fitness Institute, pioneering the placement of licensed physical therapy within a fully equipped exercise facility. A dedicated bird watcher, Addie traveled the world with Len. They visited every continent, often choosing destinations that yielded new prizes for her lifetime bird list. Their most special times were spent visiting and traveling with their children’s families and reveling in the company of their grandchildren. In recent decades, Addie and Len lived on Florida’s west coast. They enjoyed 65 years of marriage until Len’s death 4 months earlier in July 2020.

For the past 3 or 4 years, Adelaide experienced progressive memory loss. Throughout this decline, she retained her sense of humor, which only grew sharper. Addie was happy and content until the end. She leaves behind a wondrous trail of smiles and love.

Adelaide is survived by her sister Enid Bloch, her daughter Robin Elise Schuman, her sons Mark Rosenmoss and Mitchell Rosen, her daughter-in-law Alma Balonon-Rosen, her four grandchildren Naomi and Sophie Rosenmoss and Peter and Marissa Balonon-Rosen, as well as many cousins, nieces, nephews and their families. On Friday, Addie was buried alongside Len in a small graveside service at Cedar Park Cemetery in Paramus, NJ. We anticipate a joint memorial service for Len and Addie in 2021, pending the reduction of Covid-19 restrictions.

For those who would like to make a remembrance in Addie’s name, please consider a contribution to the Congregation for Humanistic Judaism of Sarasota, Florida or to the World Wildlife Fund.