Obituary of Curtis B. Roseman

Roseman, Curt - Passed with peace and grace at his home on August 19, with his family by his side, after a long battle with cancer. He is survived by his loving wife, Barbara and their two wonderful children, Erica Nichols and Matthew Roseman. He is also fondly remembered by Erica's husband, Robert Nichols and Matthew's longtime girlfriend Kristina Diamond. Curt adored his granddaughter, Alexa, who he often called "Toots". He is also survived by his sister, Jill Pierce of Hamilton Square, NJ. Curt was a true Renaissance man blessed with intelligence and a sense of humor combined with a large repertoire of bad jokes. Born in Long Branch, NJ, Curt was an active swimmer, reluctantly starred in many school plays, notably playing Dobie Gillis. Curt graduated from Rutgers in 1966 where he majored in art history and philosophy, lettered in fencing and sang in the Rutgers Choir. Curt personified the 60's in New York City, living in and chronicling his time there. While pursuing photography, Curt also worked for the Museum of Natural History building large dinosaurs. He taught video and photography at Cooper Union and was a contributing editor to Filmmakers Newsletter. During that period, Curt received a grant to display his photography on NYC buses and subways; those prints now reside in the Smithsonian Museum. He also pursued a love of architecture, woodworking and old house restorations. Curt with his family moved to Hampton, NJ and bought an historic 1830's house. He became a cabinetmaker, renovating his old house as well as many other historic homes in the area. He was a Boy Scout leader, fly fisherman, member of the NJ Astronomical Association (and keen observer of meteor showers), volunteer at the Paul Robinson Observatory, and a lifelong stamp collector. He built model train sets and eventually worked at A.I.D. Models, creating architectural models for developers. Curt liked many different types of music. He played the mandolin – a birthday present from his wife – for over 40 years and knew the lyrics to hundreds of songs. As a member of the Jugtown Mountain String band, he played and emceed the Fiddler contest at Howell Farm for several years, and also entertained seniors in our local nursing homes. He made many life-long friends with his music. The family invites you to a memorial "Celebration of Life" on September 17th at 2:00pm at the Parish hall in the Lower Valley Presbyterian Church in Califon, NJ,445 County Road 513, please contact the family for questions. The family is requesting that donations in lieu of flowers be directed toward causes that have a local impact and reflect Curt's interests. Donations may be made to the music program at Curt's granddaughter's school http://rivervalleyschool.org/support-rvws/give-now/ In the comment section please note Curt's name or the Musconetcong Watershed Association at http://www.musconetcong.org/.