Welcome
This is a temporary memorial site for Dr John W Rosenberger ("Dutch"), who passed away on the evening of January 30th, 2022, at the age of 88. The date for his memorial service itself is not set as yet, so this site will serve for now, for people to get updates as to when and where that will take place.
Click on the "READ MORE" link lower right on this or any post to see the entire post. Use the links above or to the side to see Obituary, Photos, etc.
This site (jwrdutchrip.blogspot.com) will also host photos, memories and comments of and about Dutch, which will be added here in the various tabs above as (and if!) they come in. So, if you have a photo, a comment, a memory to share, whatever, you can send them to me, Matt Rosenberger, at this email address: matthew.rosenberger@att.net , and I will post them to this website.
You can also use the comment system embedded in the blog here (right below this post, for example) to say what you want to say. Make sure to include your name and relationship.
This site address is included in his obituary which will be sent to the Cleveland Plain Dealer and New York Times, perhaps people will come here from that as well as word of mouth. The site will start off very simply, and will be added to as any content comes in, so check back to see new info and of course when the memorial service is set, it will be posted here as well.
Kate and I wanted to do dad and his friends and family justice in terms of keeping everyone in the loop in between the initial news of his passing and obituary and the actual memorial service, which likely will occur after winter and viral storms have lessened.
Please stay tuned, check back and remember Dutch! Thanks - Matt
Over that last 4 decades I had the pleasure of spending quality time with Dutch in NYC, Atlanta and around camp fires. I often thought about those hours with a smile and with his passing, I now cherish those memories.
ReplyDeleteI recall our Toccoa River canoe trip in the N. Ga mountains, when Dutch was in his 70’s, I asked Matt, “Are you sure he’s up for “mountain goating” up steep mud banks to pitch a tent and paddling rapids? You sure it will be fun for him?” It wasn’t just fun, he was in his element. I heard stories of him paddling canoes in his youth but here he was, a great paddler, big, strong, in body and spirit a real positive energy to be reckoned with. I found myself wishing our trip could last a while longer.
His campfire company was as good as his outdoor skills. We would spend 4 or 5 hours at night, nursing brews, in total darkness except for the light of a camp fire, chatting about this and that. The conversation was easy, kind, generous -- like talking to family-- and invariably educational for me, as I listened to Dutch’s unique descriptions of the odd human characters that we all are and his way of looking at human foibles as not bad but as interesting, entertaining, and in fact positive.
On the river or in life, where others so easily find difficulties and problems, Dutch just seemed to suss it all out with a big smile and a big positive spirit. I will carry that part of Dutch with me in the future.
John Klonoski
Tom "Rosie" Rosenwald, dad's classmate and crewmate at Dartmouth wanted me to post this on his behalf, after contributing the picture of the "Eights" which can be seen in the Photos section:
ReplyDelete"On a personal note Dutch will always be remembered as a dear friend and classmate who rowed #6 on the Dartmouth Heavyweight crew which is part of the engine room that makes the boat go. He will be sorely missed.
Rosie
Cox"
Note: Rosie was the coxswain, the only guy in the boat facing the right direction, keeping time and course and egging them on to the finish line.
I have been friends with Dutch's son Matt for several
ReplyDeletedecades and some years ago I had the pleasure of meeting
Dutch and embarking on a canoe paddling adventure in
North Georgia. We paddled 3 rivers in 3 days.
I will always remember our fun adventure and sharing
in Dutch's contagious joie de vivre and gentle demeanor.
One of my fondest memories of Dutch is the photo of him after
he jumped in the cooold Hiawassee River and then emerging glowing
pink from the icy dip with an ear to ear grin.
Adios Amigo
Dutch was my grandpa. Gosh, I have so many memories of him. Even when I typed out "Gosh," what came to mind was some of his choicer curse words and phrases that I never heard anyone else utter, but which often poured forth from his mustachioed lips. "Yuck city!" was a good one. "I'm headed for the John" was always a favorite of mine, declared after a particularly rich Christmas dinner, because as a kid it tickled me that Grandpa's real name "John" could also mean the bathroom.
ReplyDelete"If you step on a crack, you'll break your mother's back" was another gem. He'd warn us about this as he had our small hands in his large one, running across Manhattan city blocks and twirling us around, trying to get us to step on sidewalk cracks as we giggled helplessly.
A day out on the city with Grandpa Dutch was SUCH a treat for me and my sister Rowan, as small kiddos. While peering out from his bushy eyebrows, he'd swear us to secrecy from our mom, and treat us to an ice cream lunch, followed by root beer float desserts, and finished up by racing through all the red lights in the city.
I have so many more, but those are the memories that have been popping up for me lately. Ruddy-cheeked, pot-bellied, Santa-bearded Dutch-- my Grandpa.
Tori ,your thoughts are so touching , thank you , Love , Dad
DeleteAw Tori, sweet... above comment by Victoria Staley.
DeleteEveryone, pls make sure to include your name and relationship in the comment or post, sometimes the blog bots will give you "Unknown" as a name.
Any questions on how to do stuff on this site you can email me at:
matthew.rosenberger@att.net
Hello,
ReplyDeleteDutch was my father-in-Law. His daughter Kate and I have been married 30 years.
With our two daughters Tori and Rowan we spent a good amount of time with Dutch over the years.
Both of my parents passed away during the past 3 years. My mother this past summer. As a result, I have been living with grief in all its infinite iterations for some time. My memories of my parents can be both complex and contradictory.
The first memories that come to mind with Dutch are our times vacationing on Lake Winnipesaukee, in New Hampshire at the AMC’s Three Mile Island camp. Dutch was a gamer in that he really enjoyed competition. He played tennis into his early 80’s and I remember how upset he could get at missing a shot , yet almost simultaneously he would laugh at himself amused by the sheer joy of just playing. His joy was contagious, and he would bring a smile to
everyone’s face.
Four years ago, just Dutch and I drove from Philadelphia back to NYC. I remember during the 2 hours how lively our conversation was and how much I enjoyed listening to Dutch reminisce about times past. One thing for sure the two loves of his life were his son Matt and his daughter Kate.
May Dutch rest in peace. He will be missed.
Chris Staley
Update: Obituary for dad will appear this upcoming Sunday in the print editions of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the NY Times. Online obits will remain for some time on cleveland.com and legacy.com respectively.
ReplyDeleteI had the pleasure of working with Dr. Rosenberger at the Manhattan Psychiatric Center, where he was my supervisor. He was more than a supervisor; he became my teacher, a mentor and ultimately, a friend. He invited me and my husband to his home more than once, where we enjoyed his expansive hospitality. He was a wise and gentle man. I am sorry to read of his passing and wish to express my condolences to his family. I will miss him.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for taking the time to post that, Dr Tabor! Kate and I wanted to let his former professional colleagues know of his passing, and I was lucky to get in touch with Dr Lindermayer at MPC, who had lots of memories and anecdotes about Dutch/Dr Rosenberger, and spread the word. As a result I also got a great email from John Steinhauer at the MPC pharmacy, who had fond memories and confirmed dad's, shall we say, "unique" stance regarding actively searching for new treatments for patients as opposed to maintaining status quo. Thanks again for your condolences.
DeleteOver the years, I got to know Dutch and appreciate his zest for living life to the fullest. He consulted as a medical expert on one of my legal cases and his encyclopedic knowledge helped me understand the difficulties patients faced; I sat next to him in Atlanta watching Matt's band play and saw his exuberant response; I vicariously lived his canoe adventures with Matt, John and others; and I was lucky to be there at a few dinners where the conversation flowed due in no small part to his conversational skill. And to top it off, after a dinner at our house, he made me leave the kitchen and proceeded to load the dishwasher. What a guy! He was a big man with a big heart and a big intellect, and he will be missed.
ReplyDeletePLEASE READ
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone posting here so far for contributing - I've gotten a call and email or two wanting tips on how to post, so here goes:
- Please save your comment somewhere first before you enter it or copy/paste it here! It's the safest way to make sure you can recover your comment if something goes wrong in the posting process.
- The blogger/google platform will try to figure out who you are to give you a "bolded name" at the top of your comment. When you click in the comment field, you will see a "Comment As:" dropdown box appear. If you see your name in there, you can select it. If not, it will probably post as "Unknown". So, if you're not sure your comment knows your name, provide it in the comment itself.
- Hit the "PUBLISH" button lower right when you are ready for comment to post.
- Some phones can handle posting here, some cannot. Using a desktop browser is safest.
Thanks again to all...
I am one of ‘Uncle’ Dutch’s nephews. My mother, Anne Louise ‘Lou’ Robbins was Dutch’s closest sister in age. I often remember my mother telling of stories of the two of them growing up. It was evident that a very close kinship had developed between them. A relationship that only got stronger through the test of time. For that reason, my relationship & juxtaposition to Dutch, and his family, became more heartfelt as time went on.
ReplyDeleteI have so many vivid memories of Dutch being in my life. One of the earliest is from a fishing trip to the ‘Canadian Wilderness’ that he, and his brother Jim, had organized in the mid 1970’s. There must have been about eight of us, cousins, nephews, nieces, and uncles, that headed out in two cars loaded with our gear. On the last leg of our trip we drove, what seemed to be hours, along gravel and dirt roads to reach the base camp to pick up the guides and canoes. We paddled, fished, and portaged across several lakes to our very rustic cabin, which we stayed in for several nights. It seemed like the only thing to eat over several days was fish, which I was not particularly fond of, and that was when I learned to like mayonnaise! It is a blast from the past for me every time I think back to ‘our’ wilderness trip. I owe Dutch a huge debt of gratitude for making that time with extended family a special memory for me. What truly made an impression on me was the fact that he, and Jim, had taken time from their busy schedule to make such an adventure happen, of which I was fortunate to be included.
Other memories involve several years in which my family and I went during the Thanksgiving to stay at Dutch’s get away place in Otis Massachusetts. It was such a fun time enjoying great conversation, food, adventures, and other merriment with the assembled crowd. Dutch was always a gracious host and I remember him spending much of the time at the woodstove preparing his famous pies, and since the pies were always lip smacking good, I assumed he was a pretty good chef. Until one time, during a summer visit there, he and I were outside charcoal grilling hamburgers for a crowd of about 15 people and we were not seeing eye to eye on whether the hamburgers were cooked enough. We ended up taking the burgers in as they were, but I think that was the only time I ate raw hamburger! Nobody got sick, so I guess Dutch knew what he was doing!
Thanksgiving was a theme of Dutch’s visits – he visited his sister (my mom, Lou) and our family in Ohio for many years. He was such a great entertaining conversationalist and joyous person whom was so much fun to be around. He has imparted on me a strong sense of family and an appreciation for the outdoors. I will miss him Big Time. John Klonoski, in the first post here, put it well “…with a big smile and a big positive spirit. I will carry that part of Dutch with me in the future.” His spirit, I believe, was contagious and was passed to all of us who were fortunate enough to spend time and make memories with him. R.I.P. Dutch
Dale Robbins
Thanks Dale! I put a pic of Dutch wrestling with that wood stove in the Photo section. I also have vivid memories of that Canadian Trip. Guy and Claude were the Quebec guides, showing us the beautiful lakes during the day and cooking the trout we caught at night. I recall we asked them for something other than fish one night - they scratched their heads and served up some pasta with what seemed like ketchup and lake water for a sauce. We went back to fish (and mayo!). Also recall when we finally got out of the woods, dad grabbed a paper at the first gas station and it turned out Nixon had resigned while we were blissfully casting lures.
DeleteHi! This is Rowan, Grampa Dutch's other granddaughter. I've taken some space from this website to try to process his passing on my own terms, but when I opened this page this morning the many posts remembering and celebrating his life brought tears to my eyes. Thank you all so much for sharing your memories of Grampa. I am always struck by how much is revealed in death about one's life, especially when I knew him solely as, well, my Grampa Dutch.
ReplyDeleteGrampa Dutch's passing has been difficult, in particular because of his declining memory in the past few years. Still, even as our conversations became increasingly cyclical and tinged with a bit of sadness, Grampa always asked about Tori and I, and where we were and if we were happy. I remember a time a few years ago when I was no longer sure he knew who I was, but nevertheless was more than happy to share his wisdom on the medical school application process for an entire afternoon, giving me pointers and telling me to just shoot my shot.
Casting my mind further back, I have so many many happy memories with Grampa. He would hoist Tori and I -- one clinging to each arm -- and carry us on the city sidewalks, trying to force us to step on all the cracks. He had the best eyebrows, and he looked just like Santa. I fondly remember him drinking a massive beer in Paris with us, and he and I shared a similar love of mashed potatoes. I remember him debating psych diagnoses with mom, and recounting his stories of working at Fort Dix. I remember his unique mixture of humour and seriousness, his dedication to science and medication alongside his religiosity. I could go on, but I'll save some for his celebration of life in May. Much love to all who have posted, and much love to Grampa.
Sweet Ro! Glad you took the time, looking forward to seeing you. Grampa Dutch loved his grandaughters, that's for sure. Stay tuned for a couple pics showing just that.
DeleteJOHN W ROSENBERGER MEMORIAL SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
ReplyDeleteThe memorial service for Dutch is now set. It will take place in Cleveland on saturday May 21, 2pm at the DeJohn Funeral Home on Chillicothe Rd (Chesterland). The reception afterwards will be at Jim Rosenberger's Chagrin Valley Athletic Club (4.5 miles away), with ample food and beverages.
Kate and I are working with the funeral home, family and friends to organize the service. There will be photos, memoria, people will speak, songs will be sung - it will be a true celebration of our father's life. We have called and will be calling many people individually to let them know, but this announcement and the link above at the top of the site is the "official" notice.
The memorial service will be streamed live (and I believe, recorded), so anyone who cannot attend but would like to view it remotely will be able to. The link for that will be on the funeral home's web page (see header above and link below), and we will post it here as well when it becomes available.
The link to JWR's memorial and info (directions, etc) are shown at the top of this page on the "Memorial" tab and can be found here as well:
https://www.dejohnfuneral.com/john-rosenberger/
If you have any questions regarding the memorial you can post them here of email me at:
matthew.rosenberger@att.net
Look forward to seeing many of you there! - Matt
So many wonderful and funny memories of Dutch from 3 mile, Christmas and other get together. In particular I remember his enthusiasm after his tour of the clivus composting toilets, his always entertaining stories and his love of triple cream Brie cheese. Also his pies were legendary. He will be missed but never forgotten❤️❤️ The Wings
ReplyDeleteUncle Dutch was my Great Uncle, and what a spectacular uncle he was! I’ve known very few people who are as perpetually joyful as Uncle Dutch.
ReplyDeleteFrom early memories of family Easter celebrations and egg hunts, to lively Thanksgiving debates, piano concerts, and spirited cooking sessions, Uncle Dutch was always the life of the party. Many of my memories include time with Matt and Kate at the home in Otis, Massachusetts. Always lots of laughter, good food and thoughtful conversations.
Uncle Dutch’s passing is ever more poignant because his brother (my grandfather, Jim Rosenberger) recently passed along with my grandmother, Ann Rosenberger. When I picture Uncle Dutch, I picture him inextricably linked to both Jim and Ann. The bond they shared was indelible, a close kinship that I’ll always treasure and a true expression of familial bonds and commitment.
Uncle Dutch was a “gamer” as others have noted. When I tried my hand at modeling, I lived with Uncle Dutch on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in his gorgeous apartment for a brief time in early 2000. I made the grueling rounds to jobs and casting calls for a several months before moving to Miami. During my time in NYC, we’d both come home after our long days of work, he’d flip on enchanting classical music and enjoy some delightful French cheese he’d probably just picked up at Fairway. We’d exchange our news from the day, and I remember feeling very grown up but also very supported by Uncle Dutch. He had an adventurous spirit and we talked about taking risks in life and following your passions.
Uncle Dutch was and is an incredible inspiration to all who had the pleasure of meeting him. Sending all of my love and support to family and friends during this difficult time.