Ruth Rosenstock, 93, was a teacher and volunteer
Mrs. Rosenstock loved to read and listen to the big bands.
- Ruth Rosenstock
- 93 years old
- Lived in Hazleton, Pa.
- She loved to share books with her son, Todd
Todd Rosenstock didn’t need to pore over reviews or listen to old recordings to know which books to read and big bands to sample. He and his mother, Ruth, exchanged their favorites all the time, so he had a constant source of critical commentary from an obvious expert.
And what commentary. A longtime fifth-grade teacher, Ruth Rosenstock was a voracious reader who played piano and saxophone as a teenager. She knew all about band leaders Stan Kenton and Artie Shaw, and devoured crime novels.
She even sang for customers at Wittich’s Music Store in Hazleton, Pa., when they considered buying sheet music. So she was not shy about sharing her artistic views with her only child.
“She knew all the big bands, and I shared some rock and roll with her," Todd Rosenstock said. “She heard the Grateful Dead and said she probably would have liked more of that.”
Mrs. Rosenstock, 93, died on Tuesday, April 14, at Rosewood Gardens in Broomall of complications due to the coronavirus.
She enjoyed volunteering at Reading Hospital and the Historical Society of Berks County.
Born in Hazleton, Mrs. Rosenstock worked in the Wyomissing School District near Reading for nearly 30 years in three schools. In a tribute, Todd wrote that his mother loved hearing about the impact she had from former students.
“Ruth’s firm, steady hand in the classroom and compassionate attention to her students will also live on in the many student teachers she mentored over the years,” Todd wrote.
After retirement, she volunteered at Reading Hospital and the Historical Society of Berks County. She lived in an assisted care facility in Collegeville before moving to Broomall in January.
Despite her many accomplishments, Mrs. Rosenstock will be remembered by Todd and his wife, Rose Anne, mostly for her “patient and pleasant personality.”
“She was always willing to lend a hand,” Todd wrote. “And this served her well, as her many friends were eager to give her their time and kindness as she aged in her retirement.”
Mrs. Rosenstock’s husband, Albert, died in 2006.
Services are to be private.
— Gary Miles