HOWARD B. ROSEN's Obituary
Howard Bertram Rosen, D. D. S., age 94, passed away peacefully on Monday, October 9, 2017. He was born to Celia and Jack Rosen on December 23, 1922 on the family’s kitchen table in their modest fifth-floor walk-up in the neighborhood of Crotona Park East in the Bronx. His family moved to Miami Beach in the late 1930’s when his father bought the Fillard Hotel on Liberty Avenue. Howard graduated from Miami Beach Senior High, attended the University of Florida on the GI Bill, graduated from the University of Maryland Dental School in 1951, and began his dental practice in Miami that year.
Howard married Shirley Jaffe Rosen in 1954 and they were married for 63 special years. He is survived by their five children: Lori Rosen Dubbin (Sam), Karen Rosen Mauskop (Dr. Alexander Mauskop), Dr. Audrey Rosen Levine (Dr. Larry Levine), Craig Rosen (Cammi), and Dr. Charles Rosen (Lili), as well as many grandchildren who he dearly loved: Robert (Sandra), Jeffrey (Marta), Andrew, Julie, David, Melissa, Jaclyn, Elizabeth, Garrett, Evan, and Nicolas. He is also survived by his sister, Phyllis Usdin, of Jacksonville, Florida.
Howard loved being a dentist – in continuous active practice for 61 years (1951-2012). He opened his first practice in South Miami on September 7, 1951 and later expanded with a new, second office in Homestead on September 16, 1987. He thoroughly enjoyed caring for his patients and even worked on Saturdays for many years. His patients adored him.
Howard served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Field Artillery, 7th Battalion, 1st U. S. Infantry Division of the United States Army during WWII. He was selected to serve as a U. S. Army Guard at the Nuremberg Trial in 1946. His job there was to maintain order and guard the infamous German Nazi perpetrators. He never forgot how they sat impassively during each survivor’s gripping testimony. He took this responsibility very seriously, and, in 2014, spoke on Holocaust Remembrance Day about his experiences as a guard during the trial.
While on a leave during his service, Howard learned how to snow ski in the Swiss Alps. It was a passion he continued several times a year, mostly in Grand Targhee in Wyoming, well into his 80’s.
Howard’s baseball hero, perhaps his overall hero, was Hank Greenberg who played first base for the Detroit Tigers. He always talked about how Hank Greenberg grew up in Crotona Park East just three blocks away from him. He loved to say that Hank hit a baseball a “country mile.” As a beloved husband, brother, dad, and grandpa, Howard’s love and devotion to his family was as wide and deep as that country mile and he will be so dearly missed by his family and friends.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Temple Beth Am in Pinecrest, Florida.
Services and a celebration of Howard’s life will be held on Sunday, October 15, 2017 at 11:30 am at Temple Beth Am, 5950 North Kendall Drive, Pinecrest, Florida, with a private burial at Mount Nebo, Miami. Shiva will be held at the Palace in Coral Gables, 1 Andalusia Avenue, from 3:00 – 8:00 pm with Minyan Service at 5:00 pm.
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