Bernard Allen Roos

Dr. Bernard A. “Bernie” Roos, a dedicated physician, researcher, educator, mentor, husband, father, and grandfather, died peacefully on September 4, 2026. He was 84.

Born on November 15, 1941, Bernie was the son of Fred Roos and Gilla Weisner Roos, who each fled Nazi Germany and came separately to America through New York in 1937. Bernie never lost sight of his family’s story.

Family was always at the center of Bernie’s life. He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Virginia (“Ginnie”) Roos, with whom he shared 47 years of marriage and raised three daughters. He was the devoted father of Samantha, Rebecca, and Carlotta; caring father-in-law of Anthony and Timothy; and adoring grandfather of Helaina, Joshua, Mitchell, Charlie, and Molly, who all brought him immeasurable joy. Later in life, Bernie found love and companionship again with his wife, Jennifer Salz, and warmly embraced her sons Scott, Matt, and Jake, their wives, and their children, Kate, Chloe, Aaron, Griffin, and Oliver, who all became a very special part of his life. Bernie is also survived by his brothers, Leonard and David Roos, whom he cherished as both family and lifelong friends.

Bernie was a lifelong learner and believed deeply in the power of opportunity. He believed that opportunities lead to experiences, and that experiences lead to knowledge. He lived accordingly—with an extraordinary curiosity about medicine and science, but also about people, ideas, history, and the endless variety of the world around him.

Bernie’s intellectual curiosity found its first great expression in medicine. He earned his medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and completed his residency in internal medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, followed by fellowship training in endocrinology at the University of California, San Diego. His early academic and research career took him to the Cleveland Veterans Administration Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He continued his clinical and research work with the American Lake Veterans Administration and the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Bernie ultimately made Miami his professional home. He became a leader in geriatric medicine, research, and education, bringing to his work both scientific rigor and a deep interest in the individual people behind the medicine. He served as Director of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Geriatrics Institute, Director of the Miami Veterans Administration Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), and Director of the Stein Gerontological Institute at the Miami Jewish Home. He also led Florida’s first teaching nursing home program and took great pride in his work related to the White House Conference on Aging.

Bernie’s career was never defined simply by the positions he held. He had a gift for mentoring. He listened. He remembered. He followed up. He made connections and opened doors. He believed in sharing what he knew, encouraging curiosity, and helping others recognize opportunities they might not otherwise have seen. Students, physicians, researchers, and colleagues benefited from his guidance and mentorship. That may be his most enduring legacy—the people he helped along the way.

For Bernie, generosity was not an occasional act. It was a way of moving through the world. He was generous with his time, his knowledge, his resources, his attention and his affection. He helped people without being asked and without expecting anything in return. That generosity extended far beyond his family. Friends, colleagues, students, mentees, neighbors, and acquaintances—and sometimes people he barely knew—could find themselves the recipients of his concern or assistance.

Bernie had enormous enthusiasm for life. He loved conversations, particularly conversations that brought together different perspectives, and could happily spend hours telling stories. He found joy walking through museums, listening to classical music, and going to the opera. On the lighter side, he even took to the karaoke stage himself and gave Elvis a run for his money with “Love Me Tender.” Bernie also appreciated the simplest pleasures. He loved food, cooking, sharing time at the dinner table, a glass of wine, reading a good book, watching a movie, and playing games. Even in his final days, he found simple joy in a good game of cards.

Above all, Bernie was a superhero to his grandchildren. He spent countless hours at the park, in the pool, at the zoo, at the Children’s Museum, at Parrot Jungle, at the bookstore, fishing off the dock, drawing, painting, building block towers, playing with Legos, shooting basketballs, watching Star Wars, telling stories, making s’mores, taking pictures, and just talking about life. Along the way, he took great delight in watching them each discover their own personalities, talents, interests and paths in life.

Bernie enriched the lives of so many and will be deeply missed. In lieu of flowers, the family invites those who wish to celebrate Bernie’s life to consider a donation in the name of Dr. Bernard Roos to the South Florida VA Foundation for Research and Education. South Florida VA For Research and Education