Wilma's Life

Dr. Wilma Sylvia (Friedman) Rosen was the first woman psychiatrist at Butler Hospital and served there over 40 years.  She also provided therapy to art students at RISD's Office of Counseling. Her life story was an inspiration to many she counseled and mentored as a clinical professor at Brown Medical School.  Born in the Philadelphia area, her family had little funds so that attending college depended on achieving scholarships and her family's hard won savings. Encouraged by her feisty mother Minnie and gentle father Philip, her hard work as a young girl won her scholarships and awards that led to a degree at the Philadelphia Museum School of Art.  Regretting the lonely life of an artist she discovered a fascination with psychiatry and completed her medical degree at Temple Medical School at a time when quotas restricted admission of Jewish women.  That combined love and fascination with helping people find their identity and reflecting the beauty of the individual was expressed through her compassion for adolescence and artists, helping patients find second chances, and her thoughtful portraits. Her mentorship of women physicians gave her great pride, and one of whom, Patricia Recupero, became one of her dearest friends. She was deeply honored to be an artist member of the Providence Art Club where she spent many happy years as she slowly and reluctantly retired from Butler and RISD and rediscovered her own identity. And as her heart made her too frail to continue her art, her life had meaning through the warmth and kindness she shared with friends and staff throughout the Providence area and ultimately at Tockwotton. She is survived by her two daughters, Allyson Rosen and Liz Grinspoon, her grandchildren, Susanna Aufrichtig, Jacob Lehrer, and Emma and Zach Grinspoon. She is also survived by her sister, June Chernetz, and her children Gwyn, Lynn, George, and his wife Deborah Keller. Wilma’s art is featured on http://wilmarosenart.blogspot.com/. Wilma 89 passed away peacefully on July 7, 2018. A celebration of her life was held on September 29 at the Providence Art Club. Wilma is buried in Beth Israel Cemetery in Woodbridge, NJ, near her mother Minnie and father Philip. 

To send a condolence, 
The obituary is posted in the Providence Journal is at:  http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/providence/obituary.aspx?n=wilma-sylvia-rosen-friedman&pid=190247301&fhid=28490
or visit http://www.rebellofuneralhome.com.

Text of the statement from the Celebration of Life is below. 

Written by her daughter Allyson Rosen.

I wanted us to have this celebration of life to thank everyone who made our mother’s life so rich and wonderful.  Throughout my life and each time I visited Mom, everyone around her has shown us so much love and kindness.  As Mom was nearing the end of life I realized that not only was I losing her, but losing Providence was like losing another family member.  And just as I was crafting my goodbye to you, on Thursday I was awarded a grant to collaborate with Noah Philip at that Providence VA, so I’m so happy to support the Providence community and I’ll be back to visit.  Even while I’m in idyllic Palo Alto, surrounded by start-ups, Google, and Stanford, Providence and Brown will always be home.  So I’ve shared my email with you all and any time you miss Mom and want to connect, send me a mail. I’ll also try to come back for more Brown reunions.  I’m going to thank the main communities I remember.  As Mom became frail and had to leave you, know you were still in her heart, but it was often too painful or difficult to visit because she missed you or was too weak as her heart failed. Forgive me if I missed anyone. We spoke almost every day but those last years are most salient for me now. 

First, thanks to the Butler Hospital and the mental health community.  You inspired Mom and us.  Liz is an fMRI researcher and software developer at MacLean Hospital. Her husband fights for people with addictive disorders, and I’m a neuropsychologist who got my start volunteering at the Providence VA and Butler.  My husband Rich and I met in the lab during our Ph.D.’s and he is in the biomedical industry. Mom loved the staff, students, patients, and colleagues at Butler from the days with Donna on GT3 to when Steve Salloway hugged her when she came to have her cognition evaluated after she was in Tockwotton.  The psychiatrists in the community like Pat Wold who played trios with her and moved heaven and earth to come to this and whose daughter is one of my dearest friends. Luisa Skobel, who mentored me though the end of Mom’s life.  And of course, Pat Recupero, her colleague and guardian angel who traveled the world with her and supported us and Mom to mom’s final days.  In Mom’s day, Butler was like a family where everyone worked hard and supported one another and had lunch together.  It’s hard to keep that warmth alive in this pressured healthcare system but I try to recapture it in my lab.

The artists of the Providence Art Club were so important to her.  Ray Finelli, her teacher, who makes exquisite pastel portraits.  I hope we can support you in writing your book.   You are right that Mom’s pastels are her best work.  I discovered more the other night when taking pictures for this celebration.  When Mary Castel-Novo, passed away Mom didn’t want to live anymore.  If she is half as wonderful as her daughter Annie, I can see why.  We talked about how prolific and precious our Mom’s art is to us.  Please check back in on Mom’s website and I’ll upload as much as I can.  I have more ideas about how to save your art and study why you lose that artistic gift so reach out to me after this if you want to learn more.

We have the Friday Group, the Jewish religious and cultural organization who supported me through my bat mitzvah.  Susanna, our daughter will have her bat mitzvah in Palo Alto next year.  I miss you so at the holidays.  It has been so wonderful to learn what you’ve been up to.  I know so many of you were mom’s dear friends who made living worthwhile after she could no longer create art.

Mom was the reluctant president of her condo and her dear friend, Jim Mahoney, was her sidekick. Leaving that community was so hard for Mom.  Thanks to you for your help with downsizing and the move.  I want to hear how your gardens are growing.  We planted an apricot tree in the backyard and I think of Mom’s poor dwarf apricot trees that died a violent death each year in New England winters until she settled for resilient  irises that Jim now cares for.

Then there were heros in the community, some of whom I knew and many I may not have known.  Dave her driver.  Micky her hairdresser for over 40 years.  Patti her “exercise girl” and Henry the tax man.  These people meant so much to us and were like family.  As I look at Mom’s smile in her picture after Micky did her hair one last time, I know that heaven sent you.

Mom always said that to have interesting friends you needed to be interesting and she took us to all the arts like theater and orchestra.  We kept getting solicitations from many of these charities in droves toward the end of her life as she must have given to many.  But some of her dearest friends were those who went with her to orchestra.  Saul, Marika, Jonathan, Alice, Renata.  They had tea parties until midnight after the concerts.  I hope we will stay in touch because you are precious.

Tockwotton, staff and residents that Mom loved.  The Miriam hospital staff and physicians who cared for mom despite the overcrowding from Pawtucket Memorial Hospital’s closure. The Comfortkeepers who sat with us and loved Mom to her last breath.  I’ll never forget you.  You taught me so much.

And then the cousins from New Jersey, especially Gwyn, George, and Deborah who saved Mom so many times.  This experience helped me become closer to you so the unimaginable world without Mom is not so painful. 

I recently read a beautiful Hebrew poem that helped me.

There are stars up above

so far away we only see their light

long, long after the star itself is gone

and so it is with people that we loved

their memories keep shining ever brightly

thought their time with us is done

but the stars that light up the darkest night

these are the lights that guide us

as we live our days, these are the ways we remember.

Hana Senesh

Check out this amazing woman at 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_Szenes

Keep in touch and thanks again for coming and for your kindness.

Allyson Rosen

rosenally@gmail.com