Rose Gottlieb

Our mother, grandmother and friend, Rose Gottlieb, left this earth on December 26th.

 

Born in 1924 to immigrant parents, Rose grew up during the Depression, going from high school to work to family life.  She was married for 34 years to Walter Gottlieb, the love of her life, who passed suddenly 30 years ago, leaving Rose devastated. Tiring of her grief, at age 65 Rose moved 3,000 miles from NY to Tucson.

 

No longer someone’s daughter or wife or mother, in Tucson Rose began to explore what it meant to be Rose. She volunteered - Planned Parenthood, Jewish Family Services, the Community Diaper Bank. She tutored ESL students in conversational English and taught knitting to the blind. And she helped teach diagnosis & bedside manner to medical students through UMC’s Preparation for Clinical Medicine program.

 

At age 72, Rose graduated Pima Community College, fulfilling a lifelong dream for a college education. From there she spent over a decade learning and teaching via the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.  Rose's love of learning led the Arizona Republic to award her their Ageless Heroes Award in 2006, at the age of 82.

 

Small in stature but a huge presence, Rose made friends wherever she went - it seems everyone she met has at least one "Rose story." Her best days were spent talking with patrons at Arizona Theater Company, where she ushered Sunday matinees for 20 years, and walking the indoor track at the Udall Center, where fellow walkers became close friends to the end.

 

Rose will be missed by her children and grandchildren, and her extended family - Hildy Gottlieb and her daughter, Lizzie Sam; Marty Gottlieb and Jeri Slavin, and their children Walt, Zach, and Sly Gottlieb; Dimitri and Dyan Petropolis, and their sons Dimitri and Derek; Nanette Pageau, her husband Steve and daughter, Millie; Debbie Solomon, Ray Ranghelli, and Rafaela Franke; as well as too many friends to mention.

 

A celebration of Rose’s life is being planned. Details (including time and place) can be found on the celebration page, where we hope you will leave a “Rose story” or two.

 

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Arizona Theater Company "Rose Gottlieb Memorial Fund", where the family is collecting for a seat named in Rose’s honor, near Door #1.