Eunice Manya Rosen

Eunice Manya (nee Berg), 88, of Highland Park, just weeks after the death of her beloved husband William Rosen. Loving mother of Marta (Bruce) Freud, Marc (Hadassah Solomon) Rosen, James (Sarah Geist) Rosen and Gary (Jose Melo) Rosen; proud grandmother of Noa, Jacob, Zachary, Daniel, Benjamin, Gabriel, Samuel and Lucila. Big sister to Donna, Barbara and Carole (deceased). She was preceded in death by her parents Samuel and Marion Berg. Friend to so many. From the beginning, Eunice used a sharp intellect and relentless drive to leap over barriers of convention. She graduated high school at 16, majored in math at the University of Chicago, and edited the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Her favorite book was the dictionary. Words were her refuge, conversation was her delight, and the world of ideas was her highest aspiration. Eunice was a national bridge champion, a crafty winner whom the New York Times called "one of the leading players in the game." Eunice fell in love with one of the few people in the world who could occasionally best her. Bill and Eunie's passion for the game and each other fueled their 60-year romance. Theirs was a true dance of equals that saw the couple twice win the Master Mixed Teams playing together in 1958 and 1966. She loved her Cubbies so much she fought and defeated an assault on her season tickets with legal action. She adored her family, classical music, England, lamb chops with mint jelly, and a good gin and tonic. She saw herself as a child of the Great Depression and had no time for fools, frills, phonies, or spendthrifts. Even as her memories ghosted her and her beloved words ran off, Eunice could almost always manage a witty retort. Ultimately, she chose to leave us before language left her. Her children and grandchildren will forever remember her, a force of nature who challenged all bounds, a mother who loved without limit. Mom, now it is our own words that fail. We love you. Memorial contributions to Alzheimer's Association (www.alz.org) appreciated.