Obituaries Embracing The Adventure KIM LIFTON Special to the Jewish News S ammy Rosenberg 5, had a passion for learning. A week before he died, Sammy Rosenberg asked his parents if he could go to school. He loved school, and though he was weak from his three-year battle with cancer, he spent one of his final days learning and playing with kids at the Warren Cherry Preschool in Evanston,Ill. "For Sammy, life was an adven- ture," said his mother, former Detroiter Alisa Shapiro-Rosenberg of Lincolnwood, Ill. "Sammy never per- ceived himself as a sick child. He had lots of life in him." Sammy, who would have been 6 next month, died June 7, 2003, at his home with family at his side. He suffered from neuroblastoma, a rare cancer of the nervous system that primarily affects infants and children. His strong desire to go to school in his last week of life didn't surprise anyone who knew Sammy. He focused his days on living and his deep passion for learning. "He was such an unusual kid. He was like an old soul," said his grand- mother, Marilyn Shapiro of Southfield. "He didn't let his disease get his spirit." When Sammy found something that interested him — like ancient Egypt, gardening, rocks, volcanoes, space, the solar system and the weather — he delved into it 200 per- cent, friends, teachers and family members said. He wanted to understand things, his mother said. "Nothing was half way. We read books, and he would put together models, experience it. He was fascinated with the way the natural world works." Sammy relished adventures and experiences many adults don't even get. He went on a Make-A-Wish Foundation trip to Disney Wodd and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where he wowed astronauts with his knowledge of space. He vis- ited a jet propulsion island in California, planetariums all over the country, had his picture taken with the Stanley Cup and chatted with Jewish Puzzler ' MI 4 MIN 3 III 1° " NI MIMI ill NIIIIII II III El SIMI MI ° Ell ii1111 Ell NM ill WE MI II ° ill 23 2 MIN OEM 29 3 II MP • 11111 39 42 32 40 45 NM 11111 ERIN 1111111111111 011r MIS mom ill 11! mo 59 60 61 • 67 111 111111 ■ iiii Ell • III ill 72 ME MM. ilim ii mom II imm pro Nam • .5 66 66 69 2003 100 70 67 members of the Detroit Red Wings after watching an exhibition game in Traverse City. "He knew he wasn't okay, but he didn't live like he was sick," said his great uncle, Jerry Knoppow, who vacationed many times in Traverse City with his nephew, Rick Rosenberg and great-nephew, Sammy. It was in West Bloomfield at Uncle Jerry's house that Sammy developed one of his greatest passions: garden- ing. The first time he saw his uncle's beautiful garden, Sammy was hooked. Through countless e-mails, Knoppow, an avid gardener, helped Sammy and his father start their own garden. Sammy got the ground ready ; digging holes for the plants. And Uncle Jerry brought plants to Chicago for him to put into the ground. Today, the Rosenbergs have doubled the size of the original gar- den, which includes a vegetable gar- den. "Sammy would, drag his dad out of bed at 5:30 a.m. to eat the snow peas," Knoppow said. "He knew Across 1 Last word in synagogues 5 Alternative for gelt 10 Hebrew letter 13 Made aliyah 14 Fear of Flying author 15 Cheer for Sidney Franklin 16 Order 17 'Bar Kochba 18 Business degree 19 151 20 Bubbles, et al 22 Gompers' cause 24 El Al, on 26 Biblical fishing device 27 Drummer Rich to friends 28 Ten commandments 30 HaLevi specialty 32 Nosh 36 Elijah disciple 38 Writer Ayn 40 Actor Steiger 41 Meadow 42 Tzitzit site? 44 Gaza to Beersheva (direction) 45 Triumphed 46 Sixth day creation 47 Bloody river 49 Hummus sauce 51 Use a dreidel 53 Biblical ore 54 Adam's homeland 55 Thou, possessive 57 Alphabet run 59 Pointers 62 Shertok or Feinstein 65 Cartoon voice 67 Poet Baeck 68 Noodge (English) 69 Abraham, once 71 Woody or Steve 73 Oakland A's Holtzman 74 Noah's forecast 75 Forbidden to mix 76 Hester Street time zone 77 Actress Bara 78 Plagues and commandments what everything was, and he could identify everything there." Sammy's parents, Alisa (Shapiro) and Rick Rosenberg, both teachers, were raised in the Detroit area. They met in Chicago. In addition to his parents, Sammy is survived by brothers, Jake and Noah; grandparents, Saul and Marilyn Shapiro of Southfield; aunts and uncles, Nanci Rosenberg of California, Cheri Shapiro and Douglas Aberly of California, Carrie Shapiro of California, Andrew and Cathy Shaprio of New York. Interment was in Chicago. The family requests that donations be made to the Warren W. Cherry Preschool, .1418 Lake Street, Evanston, IL 60201; Chai Lifeline, 4350 Oakton, Suite 2007, Skokie, IL 60076; Friends of Steven (which does pediatric cancer research) P. 0. Box 5994, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089; or Bear Necessities Cancer Foundation (an organization that supports families of children with cancer), 85 West Algonquin Road, 'Suite 165, Arlington Heights, IL 60005. ❑ Down 1 Son of Gad 2 Italian painter 3 Tel Aviv to Jerusalem • (direction) 4 Nebbish (English) 5 Join IDF 6 Genesis figure 7 Imitates Rickles 8 Mt. Hermon feature 9 Reuben's second son 10 Rachel's resting place 11 Spanish philosopher 12 No Evil, Sharansky work 13 Writer Sholom 21 Subject for Freud 23 Total 25 Owns 27 Game show host ?", 29 "If not now, Hillel Kapital, Marx 31 work 33 Catastrophe film producer 34 Midday 35 Writer Ferber 36 Tu b'Shevat plantings 37 Extra month 39 Reason for shivah 43 551 48 Home to Montefiore 50 Hebrew letter 52 Last degree 56 Pharaoh's was unsympathetic 58 Amulet 60 Mitzvot or good 61 Ephraim and Menasheh 62 60 Minutes' Wallace 63 Solomon's digs 64 Transmitted 65 Cheese 66 Theater- troupe 70 Feh!! 72 Actress Grant For crossword answers, please see page 97.