Elizabeth ”Libby” Rosen, an adored matriarch of Denver Jewry, passed away July 18, 2015, in Denver. She was 94. Rabbi Avraham Mintz of Lone Tree Chabad and Rabbi Steven Rubenstein of Shalom Cares officiated at the July 20 service at Golden Hill Cemetery. Feldman Mortuary made the arrangements.
”Today is the first event that I have been to in my 65 years that my mother didn’t tell me where to sit,” son Marc Rosen said at the service.
”I don’t think anyone was as proud of being from down below or from the West Side as my mom,” he said. ”As many of you know, she led bus trips at the age of 85 up and down each street and told us all who lived in what house and who owned what business.
”My mom’s life was an amazing trip,” Marc said. ”She was the youngest of seven children in a very conservative and religious family. Her father worked on the railroad and sold things from his horse and wagon. If you listened to her tell stories about her childhood, you would have thought they were rich beyond means and royalty.”
Libby Katz was born July 26, 1921, in Denver, where she lived her whole life. She was educated at West High School.
She married Phil Rosen on July 7, 1941. They owned Phil’s Supermarket on Colfax and King.
She later worked at Walgreens for 15 years in Buckingham Square.
Mr. Rosen passed away in 1977.
A past president of Beth Israel Hospital, Mrs. Rosen received the Volunteer of the Year Award in 1998.
“My mom was the boss until the very end,” Marc said. ”On July 15, she asked me twice if it was the 18th yet. I told her no, and it was at that moment I knew she had decided what day she was going to die.
“On the morning of July 18, I came to see her at 7 a.m. as I usually did and I read her the Shma. I said, ‘OK, Mom, today is the 18th. We don’t want you to suffer anymore, and you need to go dancing with Dad.’ She died eight minutes later.”
Mrs. Rosen is survived by her daughter Mona Pasternack and son Marc Rosen; 10 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.
She was predeceased by her son Sherwin Rosen.
Contributions may be made to Golden Hill Cemetery or Shalom Cares.
Copyright © 2015 by the Intermountain Jewish News
