Rose MOSNER

1926 - 2022

MOSNER--Rose. Rose was born on December 1, 1926 to Sam and Jenny Epstein. She was their third child. Her brother Irving, also an accomplished artist, and sister Ada predeceased her. Her father was a self-educated tailor who fled his village in Ukraine in 1911 when he heard that Jews were being drafted for service at the "front". Sam was an atheist progressive, and Jenny was an Orthodox Jew. Rose was born into a unique environment where she was exposed to philosophy, art, religion and culture. Growing up, she went to a progressive Jewish camp, Kinderland, where she made lifelong friends. She deepened her Jewish learning while attending a "folk shul," developing an enduring community of friends who cared deeply for humanity. Rose first attended Cooper Union, but left her studies temporarily to pursue acting. Throughout her life, she continued to have a fierce passion for the fine arts, and a special love of painting and collage. She eventually completed her B.A. at Queens College. After that, she became a devoted art teacher at JSH 158 in Queens for many years. Through the final years of her life, Rose continued teaching, even braving the digital learning curve to teach art classes online to retirees across the East Coast. In 1947, Rose married Leon Mosner. They shared a great interest in politics, theater and art. Their marriage ended in 1966. Rose is survived by their two sons, Zachary and Matthew, and their respective wives, Patty and Nancy; five grandchildren who adored her: and seven great-grandchildren who were always elated to share their art with her. Rose shared the last 15 years of her life with her late partner, Phil Grant, who died last year. Together they enjoyed art, politics, travel and culture, occasionally over a good glass of scotch (and a delicious meal of spicy global cuisine). During the last ten years of her life Rose also taught collage to adults, including at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. She continued teaching, working, inspiring, and mentoring people even through the pandemic. She created and led a collage group on Zoom until the very end of her life. The group became a tight-knit family of devotees. Throughout decades of prolifically creating art, Rose perfected a distinctive style of painting and collage. Many of her beautiful pieces were exhibited in art shows, including at the Lois & Richard England IONA Gallery, the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, DC, and the Cahoon Museum of American Art in Cotuit, MA. She leaves a more beautiful world because of who she was, and the way she inspired others to express themselves with fierce love.