STEPHEN ROSENBERG Obituary

ROSENBERG--Stephen. The officers and employees of ActiveHealth Management and Aetna mourn the loss of our esteemed colleague and friend, Stephen Rosenberg, MD, MPH. We offer condolences and prayers to his wife, Barbara, daughters Jordana and Amanda and his extended family. We will all miss his dedication to the public's health and his students, and his commitment to excellence. Steve's warmth and compassion, sophisticated yet unassuming demeanor, and keen but gentle wit made it a pleasure to be in his company and to call him a friend. The world is a poorer place without him. Gregory Steinberg, MD CEO and President of ActiveHealth Management

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Published by New York Times on Apr. 7, 2010.

Memories and Condolences
for STEPHEN ROSENBERG

9 Entries

Jordana Rosenberg

April 14, 2010

The following is the opening paragraph of the eulogy I delivered on 4/7/2010 at the funeral of my father, Stephen N. Rosenberg. I have modified it below and made some additions for the guestbook.

When my father would call me on the phone he almost always opened with "yo." "Yo, Jordana," he would say. My father had a beatnik heart. It was a beatnik heart that drove him to write and publish a comic murder-mystery while holding two full-time jobs -- at Columbia University School of Public Health and the New York City Health Department. It was a beatnik heart that loved the constellations, and his favorite one was Orion. It was a beatnik heart that inspired him to learn how to say thank you in over 100 languages. And it was a beatnik heart that was the source of his "yo." So, let me open this eulogy in the spirit of my father's beatnik heart with a "yo."

Yo, congregation. Thank you for being here to honor Stephen Rosenberg, interlocutor extraordinaire, dogged and innovative researcher, lover of puns, wonderful teacher, and the only person I knew over 21 who still took copious notes in all his books.

I thanked the congregation then, and I thank them again -- and all who read this -- now for honoring and remembering Stephen N. Rosenberg. His funeral was large. Too large for the chapel, and there were many people standing through the service that day. His kindness, optimism, generosity, intelligence, curiosity and indefatigable wit were evident to all who knew him, and will live on in everyone he touched. He was the most humble person I knew, not because he was not confident, but because he was so truly excited by all his endeavors that his joy and interest and excitement in his writing, research, and teaching eclipsed any bragging he might rightfully have done about his many accomplishments. His lessons were many -- for me, they included carpentry (a skill which he imparted patiently, if not always successfully), metaphysical inquiry, humanism, whistling, the complex history of American health care, and the love of reading -- but his pure enjoyment of his endeavors, and his committment that his daughters could attain lives of similar absorption and excitement was, to me, his greatest and most humbling gift.

K. Russell, MPH, JD

April 8, 2010

Deepest condolences to Dr. Rosenberg’s family. He was a bright, engaging, warm, cute and funny professor and we all enjoyed his lectures and the life lessons he shared. I also interacted with him as a work-study student in the former Health Administration division office, and he was open, giving and a pleasure to be around. May he rest in peace, and may he continue the revelry in heaven with the late, great Dr. Lowell Bellin, his former colleague at CUSPH. His time with us was a precious gift that is ours forever.

Roz Laakso

April 7, 2010

There are so many wonderful memories of Steve and Barbara. We shared beautiful times together...early times in medical school, living in San Francisco and always Steve was the bright and shining star. My love goes out to Barbara and her family.
With Love, Roz Laakso

April 7, 2010

We met Dr. Rosenberg and his lovely wife 12 years ago when we moved into our Southampton home. It was always incredibly obvious just how in love he was with his wife and family. For us a sure sign of Spring every year has been seeing Steve and Barbra walk hand in hand through the neighborhood. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this difficult time.
Warmly, Rick and Mary Schneider

April 6, 2010

I met Steve 40 years ago working for Medicaid. I saw him from time to time over these years and he always had a joke, along with a true interest in what I was doing. Ray also met him through work in the health field and invited him to join the Biggs Society. We are both saddened by his untimely death.
Louise Berenson and Raymond Fink

April 6, 2010

Steve was handsome,bright,happy...everything good. The only bad element in his life was a freak accident which makes it all so sad and so frustrating. We all know he would've been there to help us. This is what makes life so unbearably random. Kenny Solms

Gail Parent

April 6, 2010

Steve was the perfect man. The perfect husband. The perfect father. I will always remember him as happy, smiling, funny, and totally in love with his wife. With love to the family, Gail Parent

Scott Filling

April 6, 2010

Steve was a pleasure to work with, and brought many improvements to Active Health Management. His humor and understanding always made our project meetings more enjoyable. He will be greatly missed.
Respectfully,
Scott Filling
Clinical Development Coordinator
Active Health Management

April 5, 2010

He was our touchstone and exemplar for the ideal husband and father. He was fun, wise, smart, reasonable, witty, and generally perfect. Words cannot begin to express what a loss this is. Dale Burg

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