Rose Granow of West Hartford was born on July 23, 1928 and passed away on Aug. 14, 2026, at the age of 98.

Submitted

Rose Granow, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, wife, sister, and matriarch of a large and devoted family, passed away peacefully at the age of 98.

Rose was born on July 23, 1928, in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Louis and Jenny Zaretsky, Russian and Polish immigrants who built a life in America through hard work and sacrifice. She grew up in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn with her brother, Jack Stuart, in a family of modest means. Her father, was a World War I veteran who worked for the U.S. Post Office, and Rose never forgot how hard her parents worked or the sacrifices they made for their family.

These early years shaped her. Rose was intensely curious and loved to learn, even when opportunities were not always available to her. She began working at a young age and loved telling her children and grandchildren stories about growing up in Brooklyn – including running through the neighborhood to tell people they had a telephone call and receiving a penny for her efforts.

She carried that work ethic, resourcefulness and determination throughout her life.

Rose met and married Marc Granow, a World War II veteran, and together they moved from New York to West Hartford, Connecticut. They lived in their current home for 60 years – a remarkable constant through decades of children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, celebrations, holidays and change.

Rose and Marc had four children in five years, and Rose embraced motherhood with energy and purpose. Their home was busy, lively and full. With Marc frequently traveling for business, Rose kept the family organized – and she ran a tight ship. She believed deeply in raising well-rounded children and made sure they were exposed to education, sports, music and the wider world.

Rose and Marc were partners. Marc loved music, and Rose loved to dance. For decades, they took dance lessons, including square dancing, and built wonderful friendships along the way.

Rose was also an avid walker. Many people timed their drives to school or work by where they would spot her on her route. She was always moving. As her deteriorating eyesight made walking outside more difficult, she adapted, continuing her routine indoors with determination. Her self-discipline and determination to stay active were remarkable and deeply consistent throughout her life.

Rose had a formidable intellect and a lifelong interest in business and investing. In another era, she may have found her way to Wall Street. Instead, she created her own education. She read voraciously about companies and investments, studied the markets and took enormous pride in making thoughtful, strategic investment decisions. She approached it seriously – not simply as a pastime, but as work that challenged and energized her.

She was also famously frugal, a trait rooted in her upbringing and never abandoned. Rose believed in living carefully and making every dollar count – not out of deprivation, but out of discipline, independence and pride in self-reliance.

Her appetite for learning never stopped. She frequently took night classes and earned her real estate license. She sold a few houses before deciding that real estate wasn’t really what she wanted to do. What mattered was that she kept exploring, learning and challenging herself.

But the center of Rose’s life was always her family.

Her four children grew up and found wonderful partners who became part of the family, and the family grew and grew. Rose had the remarkable gift of not simply living long enough to see generations of her family, but of truly knowing them.

She is survived by her four children and their spouses: Les and Debbie Granow; Robert and Nanci Granow; Shari and Michael Cantor; and Judy and Haim Naamat; and by her 15 grandchildren: Noah, Nina and Spencer, Lana; Jeremy and Jessica, Amanda and Joe; Josh and Theresa, Sam and Viv, Ben and Molly, Jacob and Mara; and Leora and Yitzchak, Esther and Yoni, Avigail and Chesky, Ariela and Shaya, Meir, and Talia.

Rose took enormous pride in her grandchildren – not simply in what they accomplished, but in who they became and the families and lives they created. She talked with them, followed their lives closely and remained a real presence in them.

Rose never forgot anything – especially a birthday or an anniversary. She kept track of the milestones in a large and growing family with an extraordinary memory and a genuine interest in every person she loved. Her children could often count on receiving a handmade card, sometimes accompanied by a poem she had written herself, expressing her love, gratitude and pride. Those cards were especially meaningful to her four children and reflected something essential about Rose: beneath her strength, discipline and high expectations was a deep and enduring love for her family.

She was also blessed with a growing generation of great-grandchildren, whom she delighted in knowing and keeping up with. She knew what was happening in their lives, celebrated their milestones and took great joy in watching the family continue to grow.

Technology only gave Rose more ways to stay connected. She talked regularly with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, FaceTime, played Wordle, Boggle and Bananagrams, and remained intensely engaged with the people and the world around her.

Rose also knew exactly what she liked. Her Sunday treats were something to look forward to – especially as ice cream was always involved.

And for decades, she was a passionate UConn women’s basketball fan. Watching a game was hardly a sedentary activity for Rose; she could barely stay seated. The Huskies helped carry her through many Connecticut winters, a season she otherwise never particularly loved.

Rose and Marc also enjoyed traveling together, including memorable trips to Israel, Europe and Brazil. The trips Rose treasured most were about being with family. There were February visits to California to be with their son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren; trips to New York for countless family simchas; visits to the North Carolina coast and Cape Cod; and trips to Florida to spend time with family and friends.

Rose never forgot where she came from. She was deeply proud of having grown from a childhood of poverty into a life in which she could provide her family with opportunities she had not always had herself and achieve the financial security she valued so strongly.

But that pride was never simply about money or possessions. For Rose, security represented independence, responsibility and the ability to take care of herself and the people she loved.

Rose was tiny in stature, but there was extraordinary strength in that small frame. She was strong, smart, proud, ethical, determined and famously willful – and that strength remained with her right until the end.

She had strong convictions and was never shy about sharing them, though always in her own straightforward way. As she grew older, her fierce independence became even more pronounced. She wanted to remain in the home she loved, manage her own life, make her own decisions and, above all, never be a burden to anyone.

She loved deeply, expected much, remained curious and kept learning throughout her life.

Rose was really something.

And to the enormous family she created, loved, challenged, taught and held together for nearly a century, she always will be.

And although her name was Rose, she never had much use for flowers. Shaped by the Depression and famously practical, she considered them an extravagance.

For those wishing to honor her memory, the family suggests a contribution in lieu of flowers to UConn Foundation, Connecticut Children’s, West Hartford Senior Center, or another organization of your choice.

Funeral services will be at Weinstein Mortuary, 640 Farmington Avenue, Hartford at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. Shiva will he held following the burial and 4 to 8 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday at 39 Colony Rd., West Hartford.

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