Ruth (Rodman) Goldrosen

RUTH GOLDROSEN, 96, of Brookline, MA, passed away peacefully at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA on September 29, 2017 after a brief illness.  

Ruth was born in Boston, MA to John Rodman and Sarah (Feldman) Rodman, both Russian immigrants.  She and her late brother Morton grew up in Boston’s West End and later lived on Beacon Street near Fenway Park, where they would chase down baseballs hit onto Lansdowne Street and obtain players’ autographs (but, alas, sell the baseballs to provide added income for the family during the Depression). She was a graduate of Boston Girls High School and the Beth Israel Hospital School of Nursing.  In December 1943, she married David Goldrosen, a graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute who was then serving in the U.S. Navy.  In the late 1940’s, Ruth and David moved to Worcester, where David founded Dapol Plastics and Worcester Toy Company. Ruth and David were married for 48 years, until his passing in 1991.

Ruth worked as a nurse at several hospitals before and while raising her family.  At the age of 50, she set her sights on obtaining a full college degree.  She enrolled at Clark University in Worcester, and graduated with a B.A. in English Literature.  In 1979, she opened Chart House Books in Hyannis, which she operated until 1994.  She enjoyed sharing her love of reading with her customers, many of whom became good friends, and she brought many leading authors to Cape Cod to participate in the store’s “literary breakfasts”.  During the years that the bookstore was open, she and David resided in Osterville.

After closing the store and moving to Brookline, Ruth was not content to remain retired.  Instead, in her mid-70’s, she joined a Boston public relations firm, McNeil, Gray & Rice, where she researched articles on the firm’s clients and maintained the firm’s clippings library.  She was respected and loved by her colleagues, most of whom were many decades her junior.  She retired from the firm in 2013, at the age of 92.

in her final years, Ruth enjoyed reading several books a week (ranging from English classics to contemporary fiction and biography), watching movies, attending performing arts events, and spending time with friends and family. She was a woman who treasured learning and knowledge, remaining intellectually acute and engaged throughout her life.  She took great pride in answering the challenges on TV's Jeopardy, even in her hospital room during her final illness.

Ruth is survived by her children Lisa Goldrosen of Oregon, Hedy Oliver of Florida, John Goldrosen and his wife Elizabeth of Whitman, MA, Kathryn Daniels of Seattle, WA, and Julia Mongo and her husband Belmiro of Boston, MA, as well as her grandchildren Diana Redwood, Benjamin Sheibley, and Rebecca Sheibley. She was a fond aunt to many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her beloved husband David and son Daniel.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 11th at 10am, at the MIT Chapel, 48 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139.  In lieu of flowers, donations in Ruth’s memory may be made to Friends of the Brookline MA Public Library, Friends of the Boston Public Garden, or Boston Children’s Hospital.


Information on Parking and Public Transportation

For GPS, use “48 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge,” which is the street address for both the
MIT Chapel and the adjacent Kresge Auditorium. The MIT Chapel is set back from
Massachusetts Avenue, and is adjacent to Amherst Street; on MIT maps, is it building W15. This
link will show you a photo of the Chapel as well as its location on the MIT campus:
https://whereis.mit.edu/?go=W15 .
Parking: Memorial service attendees will be allowed to park in the gated Kresge parking lot, at
the end of Amherst Street behind the Kresge Auditorium. From the parking lot, walk along
Amherst Street towards Massachusetts Avenue to reach the MIT Chapel, which is a brick,
cylindrical building.
For handicapped or mobility impaired parking, please contact John Goldrosen, and we will
arrange for the use of spaces adjacent to the MIT Chapel.
Please note that parking along Amherst Street is for residents only.
Public Transportation: The closest MBTA station is Kendall/MIT, on the Red Line, about 0.7
miles walking distance from the MIT Chapel. From the station, walk west on Main Street, turn
left onto Vassar Street, then left onto Massachusetts Avenue, then right onto Amherst Street.
The MIT Chapel is on the right side of Amherst Street.
Alternatively, use the Central Square MBTA Station on the Red Line, and walk 0.8 miles
southeast on Massachusetts Avenue (towards Boston), turning right at Amherst Street. Or, take
the No. 1 Bus (inbound towards Dudley) from the Central Square station to the stop at 84
Massachusetts Avenue.
A third option is to use the Hynes Convention Center stop on the Green Line, and walk 0.9 miles
northwest along Massachusetts Avenue across the Charles River to Cambridge. Amherst Street
is the first left after Memorial Drive. Or, use the No. 1 Bus (outbound to Harvard) to the
Massachusetts Avenue/Memorial Drive stop.

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