Centenarian Marian Rose was an activist to the end

At 104, Marian Rose of Bedford continued to attend some of the pro-democracy rallies this year in Mount Kisco, including the last one on Aug. 16, four days before her death on Wednesday.(MARILYN SHAPIRO PHOTO)

‘It’s part of my life’ said longtime Bedford resident Marian Rose

By MARTIN WILBUR

The weekly pro-democracy rallies every Saturday in Mount Kisco lost its most senior member this week.

Marian Rose, a longtime Bedford resident, died Wednesday at 104 years old following a stroke earlier in the week.

She attended some of the rallies that sprung up in the village in response to the actions and policies of President Donald Trump, including the demonstrations on Aug. 9 and 16, when The Recorder interviewed Rose.

“It’s part of my life,” Rose said while seated along Mount Kisco’s Main Street near Village Hall. “I’ve protested against fascism all my life. I’ve been a part of it, although I’m very old. I still feel strong enough to fight.”

Rose was born in Brussels on Oct. 11, 1920, to American parents, and it was in Europe where she first protested during the Spanish Civil War against the general and dictator Francisco Franco. She said there was some concern at home about her newfound passion.

“My parents were worried about my protesting,” Rose said. “I never stopped.”

It wasn’t long after that Rose and her family had bigger worries. They were on the run from the invading Germans in May 1940. They first escaped to Paris, then southward into Spain and Portugal before arriving in New York. 

From a young age, Rose wanted to be a scientist. Rose would major in physics at Barnard College and worked on the Manhattan Project at Columbia University during World War II. She would earn her master’s in physics from Columbia and doctorate at Harvard University by 1947.

She was a teaching fellow in physics at Harvard and a physicist and senior research scientist with the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at NYU from 1953 to 1973.

Rose married her husband, Simon, a World War II veteran and an attorney, in 1948. They had four children together, and over the years their family has had a growing number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

In the community, Rose served on the Bedford Conservation Board and founded the Croton Watershed Clean Water Coalition to protect watersheds, an organization where she was a former president, among other efforts to protect the environment.

Even at an advanced age, if Rose was able to get to a protest where she could lend her support for a cause she believed in, she was there.

“It has nothing to do with age,” she said. “It’s more about it being important. Fight, keep on fighting.”

For many of those who saw her at these protests, her dedication was an inspiration. Barbara Santorelli, 77, a North Salem resident, noticed that most in the crowd are not just at an age where they are retired or have more time on their hands, but they have been around long enough to notice that history often repeats itself. 

“I do think that part of it for us is that whole sense of legacy, and part of it is, we’re old enough to remember,” Santorelli said. “I remember the Korean War. I remember hiding under my desk.”

Another protestor, Sonia Lynch, 91, of Putnam Valley, immigrated from her native England in 1961, and remembers World War II and the imminent threats posed by the Nazis. She understands what attracted Rose and others to lend their voice, even when it would be easier to take it easy.

“It’s outrageous to say that it’s better to stay home and be comfortable,” Lynch said. “Comfortable doesn’t last; comfortable leads to problems.”

Fred Silverman, the organizer of the weekly Mount Kisco demonstrations, said he has marveled at people like Rose, Lynch, and others who display such dedication.

“She’s 104 years old,” he said. “It’s inspiring all of us. It really is, and she understands, and I think both women understand what fascism is in a way that a lot of these people never experienced in their lives.”

Until her final days, Rose never stopped fighting for what she believed in. 

“I never give up. I’ve been doing this since I’ve been 18,” Rose said. “I hope it helps.”

A close friend told The Recorder Rose was to be buried Friday, Aug. 22. An obituary will be published in the Sept. 5 edition.