George van Rossum
A Celebration of Life

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Send any additional pictures or messages to: george@bristle.com

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I think the website is lovely and just thought I would share this picture I took of George having bumped into him in a coffee shop just up the road from the Colosseum in Rome in November 2007.

Jon and I were in Rome for a friends 30th Birthday and had just come from the Colosseum having spent many hours there. Our feet were sore and we were in desperate need of a coffee. It was an amazing experience bumping into George like that.

Sarah Candy

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Please see also attached a photo taken this year on Easter Sunday of Rex and my family. On the left front we have Alex 16, Sam,21, Ben, 12, shielding his eyes, Jon holding a pint, Me holding my Greyhound, Rex, his 3rd wife Jill, Jemma 11 and Lucy 10.

Sarah Candy (daughter of Rex, George's brother)

I have attached a very nice picture of Dad. This is how I will remember him always.
Luned Nothaft

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George riding camel in 2010 Cairo trip w/Peter

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George and Peter riding camels in 2010 Cairo trip

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George at pyramid in 2010 Cairo trip w/Peter

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George in Cape Town on 2010 South Africa trip w/Peter

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A picture of Dad for the website

Dad said that it is a picture of him and John Leader taken in India.
Notice the Bombay on the suitcase.

- Brita

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George and Peter at 2010 World Cup in South Africa

George with his best friend of 60 years, Oli Goldfinch, on Isle of Scilly five years ago.

George with Oli and Liz Goldfinch on Isle of Scilly five years ago.

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George at Marijke's birthday party in 2003

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George and Marijke

Simon Brooks

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George and Marijke at the beach

Simon Brooks

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Photo of Oma with Dad and Rex taken in April 1934

Brita van Rossum

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In August the kids & I went to Philadelphia to spend a bit of time with Dad, Brita and Fred. this is when we took the pictures of my children with Dad.
Luned Nothaft

George with Theo and Marijke at George's 70th birthday party in 2001

George with Theo and Marijke at George's 70th birthday party in 2001

George's 70th birthday party in 2001
Picture taken by 5-year-old grandchild

George's 70th birthday party in 2001
Picture taken by 5-year-old grandchild

George's 70th birthday party in 2001
Picture taken by 5-year-old grandchild

George's 70th birthday party in 2001
Picture taken by 5-year-old grandchild

George with 3 grandchildren at 70th birthday party in 2001

George's 70th birthday party in 2001
Picture taken by 5-year-old grandchild

George with granddaughter Marijke at 70th birthday party in 2001

George's 70th birthday party in 2001
Picture taken by 5-year-old grandchild

George's 70th birthday party in 2001
Picture taken by 5-year-old grandchild

George's 70th birthday party in 2001
Picture taken by 5-year-old grandchild

George's 70th birthday party in 2001
Picture taken by 5-year-old grandchild

George at Christmas 2003

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I have just found a picture taken and George and Rex's Dad's ( our Grand father Brita!!!) 90th Birthday in London. Please add to your website. From Left to Right Brita, Mark with son James, Zoe (Rex's Daughter), Lisa, Rex and Grandpa, Me with eldest Son Sam, Richard (dad's son deceased!) and of course George.

Sarah Candy

More pictures:

FromGeorgesPictureAlbums

The day of the final trials for the Oxford swimming team (to compete against Cambridge), I festooned George's room with loo-paper hanging from the ceiling, on each bit of which was a letter, all adding up to "How did you get on ? Are you now a Half-Blue ?" (swimming in those days being considered such a minor sport that it merited only Half-Blues). I heard him come back, enter his room, snort loudly, and then pound towards my room (next to his), whereupon the door was almost hurled off its hinges and George marched in and ordered me to "STAND UP IN THE PRESENCE OF AN OXFORD HALF-BLUE !!"

Truly, one of the defining moments of my life ! Did we laugh, with joy : he had trained so hard to achieve it !

Oli Goldfinch

For the past several weeks, George's children have been taking turns sitting with him and reading to him from the 5 books of the "Chronicles of Narnia" by C. S. Lewis, as he used to read to them when they were small children. Last night, Maya and her family sat by George's bed, held their weekly "family game night" for the children, and took turns saying their final goodbyes to George. Then, Brita read the last chapter of the last Narnia book to him, ending with:

"And as He spoke, He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page; now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before."

This morning, at 7:15 am, as we sat with him, George peacefully stopped breathing.

Our deepest condolences and we take solace in knowing he is now at peace and re-united with all those that went before him. Please keep us informed of any funeral arrangements.

Ase Sewall

Thank you for allowing all of us that knew and loved George to share in this intimate journey. What a peaceful and beautiful transition. I am glad he is at peace. Please let all of the family know that I am thinking of and praying for them.

Marijke Strachan

Peace has finally come to George and George's children comforted him until the end. That is peaceful for the children as well.

I am thinking of all of you. How fitting that Uncle George waited until the last chapter of the last Narnia book.

Please let us know of memorial arrangements.

Thank you for your updates.

Love
Kari Aldridge

I think it was very nice for George to have had you all around.

For me Oom George remains as I remember him in the seventies in Villanova.

I wish you, Brita and the family strength in all that you might have to do in these days.

Sincerely, and, thanks Fred,
Ernst Wijsmuller

My thoughts and prayers are with you all on this extraordinary day in the life and voyage of my dear friend and mentor, Dr. George van Rossum. When I heard today that George had passed on to a different place I was reminded of two verses from Longfellow's poem, A Psalm Of Life:

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sand of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solenm main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

A great man indeed was George. My best wishes and warm regards to all of you.

Dr. Falies Munas

George will be greatly missed.

Barrie Ashby, Ph.D.
Professor of Pharmacology
Temple University School of Medicine

I am very sorry to hear the news. On the other, it is comforting to know George is in a better place.

My condolence to you and your family!

Nae J. Dun, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Pharmacology
Temple University School of Medicine

As an old Gearge's friend I would like to express all my simpathy to all the VAN ROSSUM Family.

I spent, many years ago in the 70s, several months working under his supervision in his lab at Temple. Now he is gone,but he will remain alive in my mind forever.

Prof. Achille Cittadini
Istituto di Patologia generale
Universita Cattolica del S. Cuore
Roma

Many thanks for the update Fred. So sorry about George. We'll keep good thoughts for you and the rest of the family.

love,
Mike and Tricia Walsh

Thank you for letting us know, Fred. I'll pass the news on to our team. My thoughts are with you and your family-please send on my condolences on to Brita.

Warmest Regards,

Eileen Segar
Sunrise Senior Living

I am so sorry and sad and have been all along but am glad he found peace at last. I hope you are okay.

Sandy Wadsworth

My condolences to all. A beautiful way to express he is gone. I appreciate all of your updates and am certain your whole family does too.

Patti Gens

I just wanted to reach out to you and let you know I am sorry for the loss of George. My thoughts and prayers are with your family.

Misty Shainline
Assisted Living Coordinator
Sunrise of Paoli

I am very sad for George's departure, but I get from your words a deep sense of peace.

I'll personally inform Prof. Galeotti, who is a big friend of George.

Thanks for everything

Gio
Giovambattista Pani

I didn't get a chance to email you back yesterday but would like to send my condolences to all the family. I would love to be able to come over but have too many commitments here. As a family here our thoughts are with you all.

Take care and thank you for keeping me up to date with things.

Regards

Sarah , Jon, Sam. Alex, Ben, Jemma and Lucy Candy.

Sarah Candy.

I have just internet-ordered the complete Chronicles of Narnia and they should reach me by about Tuesday next week. Reading them will be my goodbye to as great a friend as anyone ever had, and a way of sending my love and deep respect to you all.

Oli Goldfinch

Hello Fred ,Brita and all the children of Marijke and George, I will condolence You with the dead of George.

Yesterday Yolanda from tante Ety told me. I do hope that you all have peace with it.

When you get older and health is going sometimes dead can be as a friend. I give you all me best wishes. Love Ingrid

Ingrid Noordhoek

We are so sad for losing a not replaceable dear friend.
This year was the 40.th anniersary or our close friendship and work.
Everyone of you knows the affection that all our family had for George.
We are crying his death and we would like to celebrate him with you.
With Elisabetta and my father we have seen the picticres and I will send some others that I have, starting from 1971.
Our love to all of you,
Matteo, Elisabetta and Armando (the father of Matteo).

Matteo A. Russo, MD
Full Professor of General Pathology
Dep. of Experimental Medicine
University of Rome, Italy

Dear Brita, Luned, Peter, Maya and all others with which you are connected to you,
I wish you all the strength you need in these days of sadness and I want to pass to all of you my condolences. I wish that you will experience that we think of you in these difficult times!
Thanks very much for your updates
With love and peace to all of you, Jolanda

Jolanda Wijsmuller

My sister, Jolanda, informed me about the death of your father George.

What a beautiful way to share the memories of your dad.
How wonderful the picture of their wedding, how young and open for the life that's coming!

For me he was the far away living uncle, speaking english, that I saw now and then when the family was in Holland. When I was a kid, this was like a special story.
My condolences to all of you.
Be all embraced.
XXX Truus Wijsmuller, daughter of Rijk and Ety Wijsmuller

I am a niece of George, his mother Marie was the eldest sister of my mother Truus. My sister Carla and I were often guests of George's parents: aunt Marie and uncle George. During many summers in our youth we spent several weeks in the beautiful house of the Van Rossum's in Zoutelande, nearby the sea. We always had a wonderful time there.

Not this year, but in 2010 (or perhaps 2009) George has visited Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
He contacted me and I invited him for having dinner with my husband Reempt and me, in our house in Amstelveen.
I drove to the hotel where he was staying to pick him up. Alas he was not there and I waited for him for more than an hour. Disappointed I drove back home. Very late that evening I called the hotel and heard from a hotelmanager that he was in his room, asleep.
The next day we spoke each other by phone and George told me that his watch had showed him the wrong time, so that was the reason we missed each other. I thought his behaviour was strange, and my husband and I feared that George was perhaps going to be an Alzheimer patient....(?)
Afterwards we did not have contact by e-mail or phone any more.

This year in may my husband has died, after having suffered with cancer for 4 years.
He also was in a hospice during his last days, where he was cared so well and so lovingly.

I am very sad to hear that George is going to die also. I ask you, if possible, will you please tell him that I always have loved him for being such a gentle, wise and nice man.

I wish you and all George's family much strength for these and coming days of sadness.

with love and respect,

Jenny Greijdanus-Hess

I was deeply moved by Brita reading the last chapter of the Chronicles of Narnia to George, and his passing away peacefully after that.

I will remember George as a dear, gentle and very wise man, a real familyman. His children, grandchildren and his other familymembers as his brother Rex, and all his friends from all over the world will miss him very much.

I thank you so much for your messages about George.

Thank you!

Jenny Greijdanus-Hess

I am writing to express my sympathy at George's passing. He was a sweet and kind man. Even though he was not on the Meals On Wheels routes for a long time, the drivers really liked delivering to George.

Once again, from all of us here at the UPSC and the MOW office, our deepest sympathy goes out to you and your family.

Sincerely,

Paula Mayewski
Coordinator of Volunteers
Upper Perkiomen Senior Center

Please accept my condolences on the passing of your father-in-law, George.

He was a kind and wonderful individual who was always filled with energy. It was a privilege for me know to know him for over 30 years. I first met him in the Pharmacology Dept at Temple. He was a terrific adviser for me during my graduate school training at Temple. I will miss him very much.

Sincerely,

Michael Bromberg, MD
Temple University Hospital

Hello. My name is Al Morin and my wife is Terry, who corresponded with you when Marijke died.

What sad news about George. He occupies a special place in my (and my wife's) memory, appreciated for his wonderful sense of humour and common sense. When I first moved to Philly from SF in 1980, we played a bit of soccer together. Having lived in London for 24 years I'm now expert at the workings of English and European football, but my first introduction to this universe was George going on BBC World Service to see how his beloved West Ham club fared that Saturday afternoon.

Children, ask me, "Which team do you support?" and my honest response is none in particular, but when I sometimes hear a little voice saying, "The Hammers!" as George's favourite club was the first I knew about.

George will be missed greatly. We send our thoughts and love to you and all members of George's family.

Al Morin

I extend my heartfelt sympathy to George's family. My thoughts and prayers comfort them during this time of sorrow.
I came to know George through the Delaware Riverkeeper Network (DRN), an organization for which with both volunteered. George was a passionate supporter of DRN, donating both time and money toward the organization's mission to protect clean water. George monitored stream health for DRN for many years.

George was a good man and he will be missed. In his memory, I am making a donation to the organization that was so close to his heart. Others who may want to make a donation to DRN in George's memory can send them to: Delaware Riverkeeper Network, 925 Canal Street, Bristol, PA 19007.

With deepest sympathy,

Debby Colgan, Morrisville, PA

Brita, Luned, Peter and Maya,

George was my closest male friend for many, many years, during the 70s and 80s. I met him when I started seeing Terry. George and Marijke were the official witnesses to our marriage, and, as you well know, we lived next door while each of you were growing up. George had such a good sense of humor that it was easy to elicit a laugh from him, so being around him was always a joy. I respected him for his work ethic- he scraped paint, built an outbuilding for his garden tools and did a zillion other things . I marveled at his willingness to ride his bicycle in any weather from our house all the way into Temple Med, and back every night..long before it was remotely environmentally fashionable. He made a mean Indian dinner and we learned from eating his cooking how to endure hot, hot hot foods. We watched "Upstairs, Downstairs" with your parents on a black and white fuzzy screened TV, and at his urging George and i went to see "Chariots of Fire", one of my all time favorite films. George and Marijke invited us to many, many parties and we loved the chance to meet really really interesting people from all over the world. We shared recipes and helped each other. Those were probably the best of times for us.

But, one day George was not our neighbor any more, and much to my dismay, I rarely saw him again. My sense of loss of your father started then even though he was always a friend. I think I talked to him, very briefly, one time after Maya's wedding, but at least I had a chance to see him and talk to him at that happy event.

I hope that any time any one of you is in this neighborhood that you will stop and talk to us. Your family was a part of our lives that we will never forget.

Jack Arney

I have fond memories of George who I got to know as a water quality monitoring volunteer for the Delaware Riverkeeper Network. He had a great energy that was inspiring those around him and was a care giver for Macoby Creek where he monitored several stations for over seven years. I'll always remember the time George biked through the hills to a restoration project along Perkiomen Creek - he arrived after biking some 30 miles and then was getting in the high grasses to plant trees and shrubs in the hot sun for another four hours - with a chuckle and a big smile on his face - amazing energy and he always was willing to go the extra mile! George cared deeply about the water health we leave future generations and spent many a nights at Upper Perkiomen watershed meetings. I hope it is of some small comfort to his family and friends to know that close to $2,000 has been donated to the Delaware Riverkeeper Network in George's memory. The donations made in his memory are already helping to protect and restore our River and keep it safe from impacts that threaten it like natural gas drilling. He will be missed.

Sincerely,

Faith Zerbe
Monitoring Director
Delaware Riverkeeper Network

Hi, Fred; Hi, Brita --

Just thought that, as George would have been 80 today, this is as good a time as any to touch base with you, as he remains so much on my mind (and yours, doubtless).

Have just looked again at the memorial website regarding hjim, having not done so for some time, and was thrilled with all the additions to it since I last looked, especially the extra pictures, and of those especially the ones taken last year when he and Peter went to S.A. and Egypt.

My only new contribution is that, as promised, I have immersed myself in The Chronicles of Narnia, and, having read my way through The Magician's Nephew; The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe; The Horse and His Boy; and Prince Caspian, I am now well into The Voyage of the "Dawn Treader". I had hoped to reach the very end of The Chronicles today, but haven't managed it, which I am quite sad about.

By all means add this to the website if you wish, but no matter either way. I shall appreciate it, though, if you could let at least Luned know, for I know how much time she spent reading from The Chronicles to George over the 'phone from California.

Hope Xmas is good for you all, to whom Liz and I send our very best wishes, always.

Oli Goldfinch

Hi,

I came to know of George's passing away only today. As a friend and a scientific collaborator - while I was at Temple -, I'll miss him a lot. My wife and I as well as our family will remember the nice time we had during his visit to India.

It is so bad that I didn't know this on time and couldn't attend his funeral services.

Please do accept the condolences from my lab colleagues, my family and I. If you are organizing (or organized) something in memory of him, please let me know.

Sincerely,

Danny

Danny N. Dhanasekaran, Ph.D.
Editor in Chief
Journal of Molecular Signaling
http://www.jmolecularsignaling.com
Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation Endowed Chair in Cancer Research
Director, Center for Basic Cancer Research
Deputy Director for Basic Research
Peggy and Charles Stephenson Cancer Center
OUHSC

George was a positive person and always wanted people to lead a productive, interesting life as he had. This attitude has rubbed off on all of his students and we all developed an interest in science, work, the environment, etc. I think that is how he lives on.

Sandy Wadsworth

I first met your Dad in 1965 when I was a medical student at Christian Medical College, Vellore, India, where Dr. van Rossum taught Biochemistry to my class that year. He and his young family had come to Vellore not long after George obtained his D.Phil. from Oxford University. Dr. van Rossum was much adored by everyone in my medical school class, not only for his exceptional teaching skills, but also for his enormous kindness and patience to one and all. He and your Mom were specially selected by our class to chaperone us on our annual class picnic, and George was the professor picked to pose with us for our official class photograph in 1966.

After graduating medical school I came to Philadelphia in 1972 on a Pharmacology fellowship facilitated by Dr. van Rossum at Temple University School of Medicine where George was a Professor of Pharmacology. He also acted for a short spell as Chairman of the Department. George's research interests at that time focused on cellular respiration and metabolism at the molecular level. He was a brilliant researcher and a beloved teacher, and published many important papers in prestigious national and international journals. He was loved by his students, and respected and admired by his peers and colleagues. He will be greatly missed by all who had the good fortune to know him.

Dr Falies Munas

My friendship and scientific collaboration with your Dad and Tommaso lasted more than forty years and for both of us he represented a constant point of reference .

During his life He worked in many laboratories around the World, such as Oxford University, at Johnson Foundation at University of Pennsylvania, Catholic University of Rome, Temple University, University of Rome Sapienza, University of Otago in New Zealand and many others.. Due to this international activity, He was able to put in touch and collaboration most of the great experts in his fields, producing a number of important publications.

Scientifically, George has been an outstanding and brilliant Cell Biochemist, producing seminal papers in membrane transport and energy metabolism.. Personally, I like to remember the discovery and characterization of a ouabain-insensitive mechanism of cell volume control:. we worked together to this topic publishing more than twenty papers, including the last one just appeared on Journal Cellular Biochemistry (the PDF is attached to this mail) and another one that is in advanced preparation.

Last year, before the aggravation of George's disease, we were planning, together with Tommaso, to celebrate his career in Rome and in Sicily.. Unfortunately, when I meet him in Phila I realized that it was too late.. Now, I can only testify that everybody in the Italian academic enviroment, interacting scientifically and culturally with him, was deeply estimating him as a fine, serious, generous and prolific scientist.. I hope that this partial information are useful for you.. Give my love to all of you.

Matteo A. Russo, MD
Full Professor of General Pathology
Dep. of Experimental Medicine
University of Rome, Italy