Obituaries

Ethel Marie Rosenfeld

Photo of Ethel Marie Rosenfeld
Ethel Marie Rosenfeld passed away Sunday, Sept. 8, 2013 at the home of her son, Peter Rosenfeld and his wife, Ann Babb, who cared for Ethel during the past few years with great love and thoughtfulness. Her granddaughter, Leah and Martha, her caretaker, were by her bedside when she passed away in the early morning. Born in Trenton, N.J., Ethel's father, George Washington Hanners, was a Methodist minister, and religion was a great comfort to Ethel throughout her life. Although she was comfortable with all denominations, Ethel later converted to the Episcopal Church, and enjoyed the ceremony and theology associated with it. Born with a great zest for living, Ethel participated in field hockey, equestrian competitions, basketball and any activity that allowed her to be active and outdoors. Ethel attended Maryville College and Johns Hopkins University, and proved to be an independent thinker early in life. Although Ethel's initial educational goal was to attend medical school, she changed her academic pursuit to Nursing School while her first husband, George O. Beall, served in WWII as a Navy Pilot. As highest ranking officer, George was first to fly over a small island in Japan. His plane was destroyed by Japanese gunfire, and he was found and buried by the island natives, who graced his grave with flowers. Ethel continued her studies at Johns Hopkins University as a young widow and graduated in 1948. It was during her tenure at Johns Hopkins that Ethel met fellow student, Jerome Rosenfeld, who was pursuing his doctorate in Bacteriology. Post their marriage, they had five children and eventually settled down in Little Rock, Ark., where Jerome (Jerry) served on the staff at the University of Arkansas Medical Center. Ethel went on the raise her five children, while completing a Master's Degree at Arkansas State College of Nursing in 1971, receiving the Faculty Award for Academic Excellence. She continued her passion for psychiatric nursing as a Clinical Practitioner and Clinical Instructor of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, in addition to serving as an Assoc. Professor in Nursing at the University of Central Arkansas Graduate Program. During her career, Ethel was Co-Chair of the Joint Practice Committee of Arkansas Medical Society and Arkansas State Nurses Association, was in Who's Who of American Nursing and produced a plethora of articles and presentations. Ethel will be remembered by the many people she supported and helped with kindness and patience, both in her psychiatric nursing practice and with family and friends. She was an intelligent, fearless, progressive, and kind person, who also had a ‘sense of humor,' which attracted others. Ethel was the epitome of the mother and grandmother every child and grandchild would wish to have. Jerome Rosenfeld predeceased Ethel as did her daughter, Rachel Ann Rosenfeld of Chapel Hill, N.C. Her other living children are Deborah Kohls and spouse, Jamie Kohls of Chapel Hill, N.C., Diana Rosenfeld and spouse, Dr. Jim Pang of Cordova, Tenn., Peter Rosenfeld and spouse, Ann Babb of Collingswood, N.J., and George Rosenfeld of Collingswood, N.J.; Ethel is grandmother to Rachel ‘Shay' Crow of Denver, Colo. (husband Mike Crow), Nathan Pang of Bartlett, Tenn. (wife Jennifer Fossett Pang), Leah Babb Rosenfeld of Manhattan, N.Y., Jessica Kohls of Raleigh, N.C., Josh Pang of Memphis, Tenn. and Reid Kohls of Carrboro, N.C.; and great-grandmother to Vivian Rose Crow, Jerome Fossett Pang and Vaughn George Crow. The family is forever appreciative of the love provided by caretakers Tenoa, Martha and Carla. Arrangements for a graveside service at the Old Carrboro Cemetery in Chapel Hill/Carrboro, N.C. are being made by Walkers Funeral Home and Episcopal Church of the Holy Family.

Published September 15, 2013

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