David Jordan Rose

David Jordan Rose passed away peacefully at home on January 21, 2024 following a nearly two year battle with Alzheimer's Disease.

David was born March 16, 1946, in Chicago, Illinois, to Joseph and Rose Rose (nee Cohen). His childhood was filled with school and friends and he enjoyed his free time playing baseball. David, his parents, and his sister, Marilyn, lived in Lincolnwood, just outside of Chicago; David attended nearby Niles East High School in Skokie. The Roses and the Cohens were a large family, and David enjoyed being part of it - lots of aunts and uncles and cousins to grow up around and with. David did not love school, according to both him and his teachers! However, he was very athletic. An outstanding baseball player, he was drafted into the minor leagues as a pitcher after graduating high school. An injury quickly ended his time in baseball, after which he sought out new adventures.

Riding the tidal wave of the sixties, David cultivated his free spirited nature. He moved to California in 1964, where he attended Los Angeles Valley College and then took some classes at UCLA. He would eventually meet his first wife, Elayne, who gave birth to their son, Dale. After moving with his family to San Diego and living there for a few years, David decided to start a new chapter in his life. In the late 70s/early 80s, he got into the insurance business, where he very quickly became his own boss. Following a brief stint in Austin, Texas, he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. He met his second wife, Karen, and they welcomed their daughter, Melissa, into the world. They stayed in San Francisco for around a year before heading back to the LA area. It was around this time that David began learning the ropes of owning a business. He focused mainly on servicing public sector union employees such as fire fighters and police officers. For the rest of his life, he would proudly maintain his strong pro-union stance and deep dedication to supporting first responders and other public sector employees.

In the mid-80s, David's business as an insurance broker and financial consultant took off. After spending years as co-owner of A&R Associates, David eventually formed (and ran) the first of what would be several variations off of the company name, "BCS" - Benefits and Consulting Services. BCS would be the focus of his work for the next 30-plus years.

On the homefront, David was - for many years - a truly outstanding cook. Although not super patient, especially in his later years, when it came to cooking, he could spend hours in the kitchen - contemplating the use of different recipes, which spices to use, how best to prepare or cook a meat or a sauce or a vegetable. Many who knew him would agree that his chili was, for many years, UNMATCHED. At least in this recounting of his life, David's chili won first place at Cohen family reunions several times.

David was a committed husband and father. He and Karen were a deeply intertwined couple, communicating constantly with too many phone calls to each other (on speakerphone) each day! The household was a frenetic one, but David helped keep things going. He and Karen were both very involved in keeping each other healthy: David helping Karen with auto-immune and liver issues, Karen looking after David's heart condition and diabetes. Channeling his love of baseball, David was also heavily engaged in Melissa's childhood softball "career," which included league play, travel ball, and nationals. He would later concede that his passion for the sport was not cost-free on his relationship with Melissa; it took a toll. Many students and parents at Lupin Hill Elementary will remember David as an absolutely legendary parent "traffic control guy" at the school - always making sure parents (and kids) driving to school kept their speed down and drove safely.

David, Karen, and Melissa had a great family network throughout Los Angeles and Ventura counties, not only with Cohens and their offshoots, but also and perhaps especially with Karen's immediate and extended family of incredible Adlers and Caligs. Family get-togethers, especially around holidays, were a blast. Dale, at this point in college (early 90s), always found a welcome home base visiting David and the family, and even briefly lived with them while attending UCLA. Ever the sports educator, David would - sparingly and never with conceit - drop incredible baseball and hockey wisdom bombs on Dale (whether to steal a base on a 2-1 count; telling the difference between offsides and a two-line pass) when they would watch their favorite teams play.

For David and family, life in Agoura Hills, California was good. It lasted for many years. They traveled, they went to concerts, they got into shih tzus, they lived it up, they spent too much money. At some point, a decision was made to head to the desert where houses were more affordable and entire communities of coastal transplants were flocking. Landing first in Palm Desert in 2002, David and the family took up residence in a few different houses over the years. He worked hard from his home office, soaking up sunshine, and living the desert dream. Life here, too, was good - but maybe less so than before.

The years began to catch up to David in the desert; medical issues became more regular affairs for both he and Karen. In 2017, Karen passed away and both David and Melissa - who had moved back to support David (with her son, Alex) - forged a life together for what would be David's final years. Moving to Temecula in 2019, they established a home base where David would continue to manage a few BCS businesses - still dedicated to his clientele, public sector unions, and being the very best person he knew how to be to his customer base and business partners. David also eventually dedicated himself to a new love (and, eventually, live-in partner) in his life, Rickie, who reciprocated his love unequivocally for years, until Alzheimer's Disease took her away.

Throughout much of his adult life, David was an incredibly NICE person. He genuinely cared for people. He took care of his partners through their illnesses. He had an amazing laugh. He espoused great values. He inherited traits of incredible strength and independence from his mom, Rose; he also inherited diabetes and the curse of Alzheimer's Disease. From the early 2020s onward, home and work life got complicated as medical and cognitive issues became more intense. His daughter, Melissa, and grandson, Alex, became in essence guardians and caretakers. David's final years were not easy, but one thing that shined through even in the most challenging of times was the core of who he was: fiercely independent, strong in his beliefs and values, and unconstrained by inconvenient or silly rules. David departed this life on his own terms.

David is survived by his sister, Marilyn, his daughter, Melissa, his son, Dale, and his grandchildren, Sophia, Madeleine, and Alex.

For this obituary, each has provided memories of David that we would like to memorialize in writing.

Marilyn: I got to spend the first 12 years of my life living with my brother David. Since he was 5 years older than me, we didn't hang out too much, as he was a typical kid wanting to hang out with friends and play sports, and not too interested in babysitting me. I do remember him causing some challenges for our mom, Rose, as she could be a bit overbearing and he wasn't interested in following all the rules. We became much closer as we both hit adulthood and really counted on one another when issues came up for each of us. David was extremely caring towards others and always wanted to help out when he could. He really LOVED being with family and the larger the group the better. He was always excited to attend the very large (75+ person) Cohen Family Reunions which happened occasionally. He was always pushing to increase their frequency as he loved to see all his cousins and relatives from years past. David had a very sensible side when it came to giving advice to others and was extremely committed to his family. Our times together were frequently around family time and David always loved to cook and put out a great meal besides his love to go out for Italian meals. He was so happy watching sports on TV and always in good spirits when around his relatives. My son, Michael, still thinks David made the absolute best French Toast EVER and that's a memory he will never forget. For many years, I probably spoke to Dave multiple times a week and really miss our conversations. I even saved a few on my phone which I listen to occasionally. David was very political from a young age and I enjoyed talking politics with him as we shared some similar views.

Melissa: He was so much more than just a father — he was my teacher, my coach, my protector, and my biggest supporter. He worked hard, loved deeply, and gave more than he ever asked for in return. My dad had this quiet strength about him — the kind that didn't need to be spoken, but you could always feel it in his presence. Whether it was through his laughter, his advice, or just sitting beside you when words weren't enough, he always made you feel safe and cared for. He loved a lot of things in life — he loved sports, he loved his business and the people he got to help and work with, he loved history and AM radio, he loved a good Italian restaurant, and he loved driving, whether it was to a softball tournament every single weekend of my childhood or just to drive aimlessly and talk about life. He loved and was devoted to playing catch with me in the backyard every night, rain or shine. That will always be my favorite memory of my dad. Most of all, he loved his family. Becoming a grandpa brought him so much joy — it was one of his favorite roles in life. He taught me what it means to be kind, to work hard, and to never give up, even when life gets hard. He taught me about loyalty and patience, those were so important to him and the lessons will stay with me forever.

Dale: I loved visiting dad in San Francisco on my summer school breaks. I remember going with him to Pier 39 many times and being gifted entire rolls of quarters to play arcade games (can you imagine just how exciting that is to a 9 year old?), going to movies like Tron and Flash Gordon at real movie theaters, and just generally having great summers exploring the city. I remember getting to know and love his "new" love (and my eventual stepmom), Karen, and also remember when my sister, Melissa, was born and holding her all swaddled up as a big brother. Also in San Francisco, dad introduced me to: Grey Flannel cologne - my favorite to this day; gelato and Double Rainbow (ice cream); public transportation (on electric buses!!); and, until it closed, the best Italian restaurant in the city: Little Joe's in North Beach (of course!)

Sophia: For over a decade, Grandpa David lived 2,000 miles from my sister and I. We exchanged sporadic visits, hampered greatly by a pandemic and, more commonly, mutually busy lives. This did not, in the slightest way, negate his care for and interest in his granddaughters. Within the early throes of a well-fought Alzheimer's battle, Grandpa continued to share his passion for sports (of all varieties!) as we held excited conversations about Georgia football and its notably skilless counterpart, Georgia baseball. Such was our last one-on-one call: we spoke at halftime, about how rare it was to see a Georgia lead that early. It is an incredibly lucky thing to have had a grandparent so far away remain so invested.
Madeleine: I don't remember much about my Grandpa David, but what I do remember is his face, his smile, and his voice. I remember seeing old pictures of him at our family reunion in 2018, and laughing about how we had found the source of Sophia's curls. I remember staying in his house, making memories with my cousin Alex and aunt Missy. I also remember his repeated interest in my athletic career (not that it was anything amazing), and the last time I spoke to him: he called me, while I was sitting on the couch at home, to ask about how volleyball was going.

Alex: To think about a man who lived his life thoroughly; a man able to recall every meaningful moment within his life, as well as the fact that every meaningful moment within his life were meaningful because he cared so much, is almost incomprehensible. David Rose, or rather my grandfather was the stereotypical hard-working grandparent with the inevitable ability to warm anyone's day up with a smile. He loved to give, it was a true passion of his to put a smile on another person's face. He loved potential in others and commonly spoke about how great each of his family members were. He expressed immense gratitude for the life he built, even if he never stopped working. He carried compassion for what he believed in, and that was his loved ones, his business, and Joey Rose, his soulmate at heart (his dog). To think about a man who lived his entire life up until his final breath is astonishing, in a way that considers every living moment of his life. Whether it be his younger years that I barely know of, or his older years that I do know of. He lived in a perspective that always carried the utmost love and compassion for others, and that's what made his smile, his tone, and his presence not only reassuring but heartwarming.

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