William Clayton Rosen

William was born on August 13, 1940, in Duluth, Minnesota, to Clayton and Maybelle Rosen. He grew up in Duluth, attended Lakeside Elementary School, and graduated from Duluth East High School. Raised in the faith community of Lakeside Presbyterian Church, Bill developed a lifelong commitment to learning, service, and family.

After graduating from high school, Bill attended the University of Minnesota Duluth, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology. He went on to receive a master’s degree in Anatomy from the University of North Dakota before earning his medical degree from Albany Medical College in Albany, New York and was a member of the medical honor society in Albany. Following medical school, he completed his pediatric residency training at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

In 1962, Bill married Patricia Peterson. Together they raised four children and built a life centered on family, education, travel, and a love of the outdoors.

Bill began his medical career with the Pediatrics Department at the Fargo Clinic in 1972, caring for generations of children and families throughout the Fargo-Moorhead community. In 1988, he pursued advanced training in neonatology, completing a fellowship in 1991 before returning to Fargo as a neonatologist.

In 1997, Bill and Pat moved to Eagan, Minnesota, when Bill joined the University of Minnesota Physicians group. He practiced at the University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital and also provided neonatal care at Fairview Ridges Hospital and Fairview Southdale Hospital. He retired in 2006 after a distinguished medical career spanning more than three decades, devoted to caring for children, newborns, and their families.

Outside of medicine, Bill enjoyed many pursuits. During his younger and middle years, he was an avid golfer and enjoyed spending time on the course with friends and family. While living in Fargo, Bill and Pat spent summers sailing with their children aboard their 26-foot sailboat on Leech Lake. He also shared many adventures with his children camping in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, helping foster a lifelong appreciation for nature and exploration.

Later in life, Bill fulfilled a dream by having a log cabin built on Lake Vermilion in northern Minnesota. The cabin became the center of family life and the place he loved most. Bill and Pat spent much of their retirement there when they were not traveling. Although they visited destinations around the world, Bill’s favorite place remained the cabin on Lake Vermilion, where he found peace, contentment, and time with those he loved.

Bill will be remembered for his intelligence, humility, quiet sense of humor, dedication to his patients, and devotion to his family. Through his work as a pediatrician and neonatologist, he touched the lives of countless children and families across North Dakota and Minnesota.

Bill is survived by his wife of 64 years, Patricia; his children David (Joan) Rosen, Brad (Mary) Rosen, and Andrea Rosen; his daughter-in-law Cheryl Rosen; his grandchildren Erik Rosen, Krista Rosen, Jaruvit Aiamran, Brandon Rosen, Tyler Rosen, Carly Rosen, and Chase Rosen; and many extended family members and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Clayton and Maybelle Rosen; his son, Mark Rosen; and his grandson, Carter Rosen, who passed away in 1999 at the age of three months.

A celebration of Bill’s life will be held at a later date.

Though he cared for generations of children and newborns throughout his career and traveled extensively during retirement, Bill was happiest at his cabin on Lake Vermilion, surrounded by family and the natural beauty of northern Minnesota.