NAOMI RONEN

1937 - 2021

RONEN, Naomi (nee Ross) Lifelong Learner Born in Michigan to Gertrude (nee Piser) and David Ross in 1937. She spent her early childhood with her three siblings in Benton Harbor overlooking Lake Michigan where her father owned a manufacturing plant called Progressive Industries. After her parents' and sister's untimely deaths when she was an adolescent, Naomi was taken in with her two brothers by their aunt Ruth Piser to live in South Bend, Indiana. She graduated from John Adams High School and Oberlin College, where she participated in myriad clubs, committees, and ensembles. Naomi's studies abroad in Germany, a unique choice for a Jewish American in the 1950's, began a lifelong love of travel. She met Dov Ronen on these travels and married him in 1961. Dov passed away just one month ago, three weeks shy of their 60th wedding anniversary. Naomi was proud to have given birth to her children on three different continents. Everywhere she went, she kept detailed notes about places visited, food eaten, money spent, people encountered, and historical facts learned. Her curiosity and exceedingly kind nature also meant that she made connections with everyone she encountered. After receiving her Master's in Library Science from Indiana University, Naomi worked at the Hebrew University National Library in Jerusalem and, for 30 years, as a reference librarian at the Harvard Law School Library where she was highly esteemed by colleagues and students. Naomi sang for many years in the Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus (some alongside her daughters) and served as an elected member in Brookline Town Meeting in the 1980's. Naomi was ever the curious researcher and lifelong learner. She attended BSO open rehearsals and chamber music concerts for many years with Dov and beloved friends. She dearly missed friends and family in Israel and cherished her visits there. A part of Naomi's heart was always in Jerusalem. Continuing her father's passionate Zionism and, at the same time, believing in and working toward a just peace in Israel and Palestine. Naomi loved the Hebrew language, relished traditional Israeli music, and gloried in the natural beauty of the Land of Milk and Honey. She was a lifelong member of Hadassah, a student of Torah, and always a loving and engaged presence at the Shabbat, High Holidays, and Passover tables. Naomi was an avid reader, a champion napper, an energetic worker, and an early riser. Always up before the rest of the family, she walked around Griggs Park in earlier days and around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir in retirement. Naomi was beloved by everyone who knew her. In her humility and generosity, she had a way of shining a light on all who came in contact with her. Through her love of nature, art, music, history, cartography and the preservation of fast-changing technologies, Naomi enriched any listener with her keen observations and analyses. The travels of Naomi's final years weren't recorded or witnessed by others as they were hidden by Lewy-Body Dementia. We can only hope that in these journeys, she encountered freshwater lakes, great literature, Naomi Shemer songs, deep stacks of knowledge to explore, and zero calories to count. Naomi was predeceased by her husband Dov Ronen; brother John J. Ross; sister Ruth Ann Ross; and is survived by her brother Micah; her in-laws Dani, Judit and sister-in-law Sue Redd Ross; nieces Ilana and Anat and their families; and her many loving cousins and friends. She will be especially missed by her children David (Jeanne), Mihal (Bruce), and Gili (Derek); and her grandchildren: Noah, Sara, Grace, Joshua, and Melanie. Donations in Naomi's memory can be made to: ACLU, Planned Parenthood, Jewish Voice for Peace, or the Brain Support Network.

View the online memorial for Naomi (nee Ross) RONEN