Norman Rossinow

Adventure, Always
That was the funny thing about Norman Rossinow: he was so much the insurance man, asking friends if they had proper coverage for life's unforeseen whammies, a reserved, even shy, sweetly gentle type who was a risk manager for Aon Corporation. Yet when his buddy, John Williamson, thinks of him, the first thing that comes to mind is "the adventure around the corner."

Mr. Rossinow, 39, who grew up in suburban North Caldwell, N.J., and lived in suburban Cedar Grove, N.J., had a surging affinity for scuba diving, schlepping through Minnesota back country carrying a canoe, and attending an unseemly number of Santana concerts. He would not spend $100 on a pair of pants but would happily plow the same money into food ingredients, loving the challenge of recreating a restaurant dish.

In June, he embarked on his greatest adventure: marriage. During a business trip this summer, when the executives at a round table had to do the warm and fuzzy by announcing the best thing that ever happened to them, he said that would be his wife, Susan.

On that last September morning, the newlyweds exchanged a frantic flurry of phone calls. Mr. Rossinow said he would wait out the mayhem. During their final exchange, he relented, saying, in his warm, calming way, "If you tell me you love me, I'll come home."


Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on October 26, 2001.


Norman Rossinow, 39, the 'best son-in-law' Norman Rossinow was on a business trip in Cleveland in August when he and some colleagues -- who had just attended a workshop on human relations -- began discussing the best things that had happened to them in their lives.

Mr. Rossinow told the group that meeting his wife, Susan, and marrying her this past June was the best thing in his life.

Susan Rossinow found out about her husband's loving words from a colleague who was with him in Cleveland, after it was learned he perished in the World Trade Center attacks on Sept. 11.

Mr. Rossinow, 39, of Cedar Grove, was working as a senior vice president for Aon Corp. on the 105th floor of the South Tower. That morning he was able to call his wife and tell her he was okay, but she said it took some convincing to get him to leave the building. "If you tell me you love me, then I'll come home," she recalled her husband saying before he hung up the phone. That was the last time she spoke to him.

Mr. Rossinow grew up in North Caldwell and graduated from West Essex Regional High School and Syracuse University, where he majored in business. He celebrated his 10-year anniversary at Aon in June, where he had worked as a risk manager.

His wife described how her husband loved his job and was dedicated to doing good work. He got along well with people and worked to provide insurance for television shows on particular channels that were represented by his company.

"He was very well-liked," she said. "He was just amazing."

The couple met two years ago and got married on June 16. They spent their honeymoon in the Bahamas. Susan Rossinow remembered how her husband won $2,000 gambling there. When she encouraged him to try some more, he ended up losing the money but taking it in stride. "I would do it all over again," he said at the time.

When his new father-in-law died in February, a few months before his wedding, Mr. Rossinow invited his mother-in-law, Frances Bernstein, to stay at his home as long as she wanted. His wife said that his new mother-in-law was the first person he greeted when he walked in the door at the end of the day. "He truly was the best son-in-law," she said.

Mr. Rossinow enjoyed golf and played at the Greenbrook Country Club. He also loved hiking, camping and scuba diving. He and his wife had planned a trip to Florida and a long weekend in New York City this fall.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his mother, Anne of Scottsdale, Ariz.; a brother, Seth of Montville; a sister, Diane Peterson of Alexandria, Va.; a paternal grandfather, Bernard of the Bronx; a maternal grandmother, Helen Zarra of Manhattan, and other relatives.

A memorial service will be held for Mr. Rossinow at 10:30 a.m. Monday at the Temple Sholom of West Essex in Cedar Grove.

The family requests any contributions in Mr. Rossinow's memory be made to the American Red Cross.