Edward Rosenberg, 96, passed away on September 26th at his home at the Brookdale Center of New England Memory Care Unit, of complications from Alzheimer’s Disease. He is survived by his daughters Marti Rosenberg and Jane Spielman and his son Steven Spielman; his daughters-in-law Forrece Spielman and Lea Rizack; his grandchildren, Hatha and Mike Parrish, Hollis Spielman, Marla Tichi, Amelia Berg, and Noah Berg; great-grandchildren, Kira, Kayla, and Jordan Parrish, and Maylin and Wyatt Tichi, and many cousins. He was the brother of Herman and Coleman Rosenberg, Ann Fanberg, and Florence Berman, who all predeceased him. And he was the loving husband of Maxine Rosenberg, whom he cared for so well when she developed lung cancer from which she died in 2006.

Born in Philadelphia, Ed was a renaissance man. Nicknamed Nature Boy as a kid, he loved to hike and canoe. He always remembered seeing Albert Einstein on a boat near him on the Schuylkill River. He got his start as a mechanic in the Army during World War ll, repairing ships in the Pacific and thankfully, never seeing combat. When he returned, he joined his parents’ furrier shop, learning to fix sewing machines.

He also would tell the story about the Philadelphia ward boss who came around to register him to vote, after he got out of the Army. When he said he would register as a Democrat, the ward boss (of the very Republican Philly machine at the time) asked him: Democrat? But what will you do when you need someone to bail you out of jail? He replied that he wasn’t worried about that, and yes, he was a Democrat – and he held those strong beliefs for the rest of his life. (And he never did need bailing out of jail.)

When Ed moved to Florida in the 1950s, he worked for various sewing machine companies for many years, until he started his own business with his wife Maxine. Basically, he could fix anything with a motor and he would, for anyone who asked.

Ed and Maxine married in 1962, and had a great life together. He often became a leader whenever they were involved in a group. When his daughter Marti played in the South Florida Youth Symphony, he became President of the Board, and stayed involved long after Marti went to college. When Ed and Maxine moved to Ocala, Florida in 1996, they started attending the Senior Institute of the Central Florida Community College – and he became President of the Institute soon after. He also helped lead the Democratic Club at the On Top of the World Retirement Community.

Ed moved to Coventry, Rhode Island in 2015, to be close to Marti.

In all, Ed was a wonderful family man, a devoted husband, a terrific and loving father, and as most people would call him, a very funny guy. A jokester to the end, he could always make the people around him laugh. He will be dearly missed.

Finally, Ed’s family wants to extend a very warm thank you to the staff of Brookdale Center of New England. From the nurses, to the Med Techs, to the CNAs, to the kitchen and maintenance staff, every single person at Brookdale loved Ed and took care of him so well, especially in his final months and days. Thanks also to the wonderful people at HopeHealth Hospice and Palliative Care – especially Jen and Fran – who helped make his final days just what we needed. And deep gratitude to Suwin Chan for all of her help and support, and to Kate Katzberg, for being part of Ed’s village.

The Rosenberg family will hold a private memorial service at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Ruth’s List, which is building a more progressive Florida by electing Democratic women – a goal Ed strongly supported. Or, if you prefer, consider a donation to HopeHealth for their hospice services. Thank you.

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