Edward David Rossmann Jr.

1933 - 2026

Edward David Rossmann, Jr.

April 8, 1933 - March 9, 2026

AURORA - Edward David Rossmann, Jr., "Ed", of Aurora, NY entered the unseen world peacefully on March 9, 2026. He was surrounded by his loving family at Matthew House in Auburn, NY. He was 92. He enjoyed reading, cooking, writing and being with his family.

Ed was born on April 8, 1933, in Manhattan, the son of Edward, Sr. and Frances Weiss Rossmann. He grew up in Little Neck, Long Island. As a boy, he explored the surrounding area, including Long Island Sound, in rafts he constructed himself. After attending New York City public schools, he studied at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey, where he played intramural football and soccer, ran track, and was a counselor at the school camp in Washington, NJ. He graduated from Lawrenceville in 1951. In later years, Ed enjoyed keeping in touch with his Lawrenceville classmates by writing the class notes. He attended Yale University and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1955 as an English major.

He lived in France for three years, where he made friends with whom he corresponded and visited throughout his life. As a Fulbright scholar the year after graduating from college, Ed spent a year in Lyon, France. After his military service he was an English teacher at Lycee Victor Hugo in Besancon. And in 1963-64 he was a student at the Middlebury French School in Paris.

He was drafted in 1956, and did his military service at Fort Rucker, Alabama, where he worked as an Army reporter and public relations writer. In 1958 he was honorably discharged.

In 1963, Ed and his future wife, Louise Seely Eddy of Middlebury, VT, met at Middlebury College in VT as fellow summer school students of French. They became engaged shortly before Ed left for Paris, where he was completing his master's degree at the Middlebury French School in France. On January 7, 1964, they were married in Paris, when Louise came to visit during her Christmas vacation from teaching high school French in Fairfield, CT. Louise and Ed had a second wedding in Middlebury with family and friends on June 27, 1964, when Ed returned from France. And they always celebrated July 19, the anniversary of their first date. They were married for 62 years.

Ed held master's degrees from the Middlebury French School, and the Columbia University School of Journalism, and a PhD in French from the University of Rochester, received in 1969.

Ed was a teacher for most of his life, instructing in English, French and Spanish. During a 30-year career, besides teaching in Besancon, France, he taught at Blair Academy in Blairstown, NJ, the Hawken School in Cleveland, OH, the University of Vermont at Burlington, and SUNY Geneseo. He and Louise and their two children, Julia and David, moved to Aurora in 1975, when Louise joined the staff of the Wells College Library. Ed taught French and Spanish for seventeen years at Moravia Central School from which he retired in 1999. While there he especially enjoyed leading five student trips abroad.

He and Louise enjoyed many trips to France to reconnect with friends in Paris, Besancon, and Lyon.

Ed was a published poet whose work appeared in Exquisite Corpse, The Lyric, Light, The Formalist, The New York Times, and many other magazines. He published two chapbooks, North of King Ferry and The Basswood Tree.

During retirement he wrote a monthly column for the Auburn Citizen for twelve years on a wide variety of subjects with a special focus on education. Ed loved learning about new subjects and sharing what he had learned with his readers. His last column was in December 2025.

Ed competed in the Empire State Games in orienteering, swimming and discus. He was a member of Niagara Masters Swimming, and the Syracuse Chargers Track Club. He was a past president of the Aurora Rotary Club and a Paul Harris Fellow. He was a long-time member of the United Ministry of Aurora church.

Ed volunteered as a guide at Willard Chapel in Auburn for seventeen years. He took great pleasure in showing visitors the Chapel's amazing Tiffany windows, as well as in researching the history of the Chapel and the Auburn Seminary. Some of his columns in the Citizen were about Willard Chapel, and he co-authored a book on its history.

Besides his wife, Louise, he leaves a daughter, Julia Rossmann, of Aurora, NY, a son, David Rossmann (Sarah Landreth), of Brooklyn, NY, and four grandchildren, Samuel Perez, Circe Perez, Abby Rossmann and Jane Rossmann. He is also survived by his brother-in-law, Dick Schwan, a niece, Elle Avery, (Phil), and a nephew, Richard Schwan, all of Allentown, PA. Ed was preceded in death by his eldest grandchild, Ezra S. Perez, and by his sister, Roberta Schwan.

Ed's family would like to thank the staff and volunteers at Matthew House in Auburn and the Hospice of Central New York and of the Finger Lakes for the loving care that he received in his last days.

A memorial service to celebrate Ed's life will be held on April 11 at 11:00 AM at the United Ministry of Aurora, 337 Main Street, Aurora. Burial will be in Oak Glen Cemetery in Aurora.

Contributions in Ed's memory may be made to Matthew House, 43 Metcalf Dr., Auburn.

Condolences may be made at www.brewfuneralhome.com