BY BRUCE

Thank you all for coming here today to show your love and support for Susie. I will try to tell you some of the things that made her so special to me and everyone who knew her. She is kind, caring, never gossiped about other people or spoke ill of others. If she did not have something good to say about somebody, she just would not say it. Knowledge and learning was paramount to her values. She had two master’s degrees and practiced as a psychotherapist in the same office with myself for the last 40 years. Her goal was always to help her patients. She never raised her fees and if people had financial difficulties she would even see them for free. How rare is a trait is that these days?

 Let me tell you how we first met. It was January 50 years ago when I was a first year medical student in Chicago. I had already gone on several blind dates in January and it was time to get back to studying and forget the nonsense, but I shared a phone call with a cousin of hers at the University of Wisconsin who mentioned that she had this cousin Susie who is 5’5”, blonde hair, blue eyes, and a psychology graduate student. For this, I would make an exception. That is exactly what I was looking for. We went out on our first date mid week 10 o’clock at night after I finished studying. We spent the whole night talking and I did not get back home to my fraternity house until 4 a.m. Everyone was sleeping and I wanted to wake them up and shout that I was in love. I am glad I did not do this; they would have thought I was nuts. Four weeks later, we went to the University of Wisconsin to visit her cousin who had set us up. After a wonderful weekend together, when I drove her back home and was about to get out of the car, I suddenly asked her to marry me. She said “of course” and I said “Really!” thinking to myself I am a first year medical student, “am I crazy?” I said “when?” and she said in five years. I said “Thank God!”

Our first full date had been on a Saturday night when the national release of the famous movie ‘The Graduate’ took place. We had a great time laughing, laughing, and laughing. It was only months later when some people asked us how we first met, I heard her tell her friends under her breath that she actually had gone to see the movie the night before with her prior boyfriend, but she was smart enough not to ruin it to me by telling me. She was one smart cookie.

For the first eight years of our marriage we were totally career-oriented.  We did not plan having children. One night at my partners house his little two year old blonde daughter came running to her father and jumped up into his arms. That changed my thinking.  I came home that night and told Suzi of this experience and I wanted to have the same thing.  She shrugged her shoulders and before you knew it we had little blonde Jennifer.  Suzi was such an accommodating wife.  The experience went so well that 4.5 years later we had our second daughter Brooke. Suzi was such a good mother.  I cannot imagine our lives without our two girls and the two grandchildren with another on its way in two months.

We have gone to Aruba every year since 1979. It is a special place for us as it is for some of you in the audience. An unforgettable memory was nine years ago Brooke and Joe got married in Aruba on a private island at sunset which was really spectacular. The previous night, Susie and I renewed our wedding vows for our 40th anniversary. This was really a special week for us in Aruba. We had approximately 100 guests that came down in the middle of February, one year after the economic meltdown. We had no idea that it would work out so well. 

Very often when we go out with other couples, a psychological or a sociological question will come up and for whatever reason it is always posed to me because I have that title ‘doctor’. I have learned to give a brief response and then turn it over to Suzi who is much more  knowledgeable about these issues so that she could give a more appropriate and elaborate answer. She would never interrupt me or undercut me and we handled it so well. She is also my movie critic. If we go to a complicated movie, I always know that when we go out afterwards she will tell me what it was really about. We have been fortunate enough to go on a number of trips to different parts of Europe and she would be my own personal tour guide, better than the tour guide that was hired, and she would clarify anything I was uncertain about? She was an expert on art, literature, World history and just about everything you could want to know. 

Every year, on her birthday, I would always prod her to try and ask for something for herself, but she was always just happy being with family. Once, 15 years ago, when both girls had finished graduate school, she was just for a moment willing to indulge herself now that things had been accomplished. She suddenly blurted out “okay, I want a BMW.” I took her out to buy it immediately before she changed her mind.

In the past two years a cat gave birth to a litter on our property.  You can imagine the rest of the story. The word spread as she began feeding the cats a terrific diet twice a day.  We now have fourteen regulars, each cat with their own unique name that are fed at Suzi’s kitchen.  If one of the regulars do not show for several days she will worry about them.  If they reappear after a prolonged absence I will always be updated. A smile would come to my face every day as I would see these little creatures come running to her as soon as she would open the house door. 

She takes her book club readings and membership very seriously.  It was just in November that she stayed up all night to finish her reading, and drove quickly off to the meeting the next morning.  That night I asked her how it went?  She had the wrong date.  She was a week too early.

In the last five years, her primary interest has been the grandchildren. She loves her granddaughter Ella and her grandson Brandon. Brandon lives just a few minutes away from us, so we are often over at his house. We sometimes came separately, and I come first. I walk in, he will run and greet me and then immediately say “where is Geema? Where is Geema Suzi?” letting me feel like a piece of chopped liver. Jennifer is having a new granddaughter in just two months and Suzi was looking so forward to her third grandchild.

So, as you can all see, Suzi is a very special individual. She is smart in all areas, modest, and always puts other people and animals first. Recently, when one of her long-term patients learned that she was critically ill and not be able to return to practice, I received this message “Oh Dr. Rosen, my heart goes out to you and your family. Needless to say, my heart is broken as she means the world to me. I don’t know what to say other than she will be in my thoughts and prayers and you will too. If you are able to send her my love and let her know I will be okay because she has given me the strength to deal with things outside our control. My life will never be the same without her. She has always been the angel on my shoulder.”

Thank you again for coming and honoring my dear wife Susan Rosen

BY BROOKE

My mom was always the sweetest, most caring and thoughtful person I have ever known. She always wanted the best for me and our family, and always put herself last.    

I remember when I was young, I was the little sister who always wanted to play with her big sister and her friends. Jen, at the time, did not think this was so cool, so my Mom pretended to be a fairy that would deliver gifts to me such as Barbie dolls and other toys to make me happy. She always wanted her children to be happy and to comfort us no matter what the situation was.

Over the last few years when I was not well, my Mom would come over to my house, sometimes before and after work to sit in bed with me, keep me company, and cook me my favorite foods just so I would eat.  She did this all and never complained despite her own pain and struggles with her back.

My mom also taught me dedication, determination, perseverance, and discipline. Her passion for sports like gymnastics became my passion, and a bond we shared for 19 years. Her compassion for animals and helping others also became my passion and I followed in her foot steps in becoming a Psychiatric Social Worker. All these qualities helped me become the person I am today.

The two biggest things I will remember about my mom were her unconditional love and her relationship with our son Brandon. She always went above and beyond for us and the animals she cared for, including her cats and our dogs.  She always showered them with love and compassion as if they were her own children.  As for Brandon, G-Ma was his best friend. He always asked for her and his face would light up with joy when he heard she was coming or she walked through the door. Every Sunday he would play show and tell with her for hours and she would scratch his back just the way he liked it.

My life will not be the same without my Mom, however, I will carry forward the strength and resiliency she taught me and continue to maintain her traditions and compassion for others.

I would like to close my eulogy with 2 quotes dedicated to my mom, one of which was from one of my patients:

The first quote reads as follows:
“The moment that you died my heart was torn in two. One side filled with heart ache, the other died with you.

I lie awake at night, when the world is fast asleep, and take a walk down memory lane. Remembering you is easy, but missing you is a heart ache that will never go away.

I hold you tightly within my heart and there you will remain. Until the joyous day arrives, that we will meet again.”

The second quote, from my patient, while much briefer, is equally powerful and I had just shared it with my mom who I’m sure wouldn’t mind hearing it again. 

It simply stated:
“I would like to meet your parents and thank them for raising an awesome daughter!”

BY JEN

Growing up, we all had nicknames in our family.  I was “Jenifefferroniponi”. Brooke was “Brooklyn Bridge” and later became “Cookie”, and my dad was “Daddy Dumpling,” though that seems less appropriate now that he’s been exercising at Orange Theory.  But my mom had the best name.  She was and will always be our “Suzie Sunshine.

My mom was always smiling and gave us so much unconditional love.  Although she always worried about everyone else, and listened to everyone else’s complaints, she never complained about herself.  She just wanted everyone else to be happy.  Last night I found my mom’s bat mitzvah speech she wrote when she was just 13.  She said “it seems that the real source of happiness is not in receiving material things but in giving of oneself to others.  Trying to bring a little happiness into the lives of others, only this will bring one the reward of real happiness and honor.  I hope that at least in a small way I shall be able to live up to this goal.”  And she definitely did.

My mom was my biggest cheerleader and was always so proud of me.  She made sure that we had every opportunity to be the best we could be.  Growing up she drove me to countless violin lessons, gymnastics classes, and tons of other activities.

She loved our husbands David and Joe and she adored her grandchildren Ella and Brandon; she always wanted to make sure she had a treat or little present every time she saw them.

Mom, I am going to miss being with you and hugging you, and hearing you say that I’ll always be your baby no matter how old I got.  And I am so sad that won’t get to meet your new granddaughter who would have been so lucky to know you.  But I know that you will be watching over me from heaven together with Grandma Cele and hopefully with Taffy as well, if pets go to the same place.  We will do everything we can to keep making you happy and proud as you watch over us.

BY JOE

Suzi, or G’ma, as our son Brandon called her, seemed to live her life for everyone except for herself. She was always focused on her family -- whether being a wife to Bruce, a mother to her adult children Jen and Brooke, or a doting and loving grandmother to her grandchildren Bandon and Ella.

When I first met Suzi, it was hard to understand how tending to everyone else’s needs could be so fulfilling to her, but then as I got to know her, this is exactly how she wanted it to be.  Shortly after marrying Brooke, this became even more clear as she effortlessly accepted me into her family and treated me like a son.  I remember while Brooke and I were living with Suzi and Bruce, she often asked me what I wanted for dinner, and made it happen despite protests from Bruce and Brooke!  I also remember she was there to watch Brandon shortly after he was born so Brooke and I could go out as a couple again for the first time, and her being there for Brooke when she was struggling with her health.  She did so many of these little things for her family, while never once complaining or expecting anything in return. She was truly one of the most selfless people I have ever known. 

Suzi was the type of person who only wanted to give and never receive. For her, the gift of giving to others is what fed her soul.  It was as if Suzi’s main reason for living, in addition to taking care of her family, was to truly help others as shown by the letter that was read from one of her patients just a few nights ago.  Helping others was her true calling and all she ever wanted to do, both personally and professionally.  I think the main lesson Suzi would want us to take from her was that we should all slow down from going 90 miles an hour through life and remember to stop and enjoy what is right in front of us: our families and friends…

We will all miss her so very much….