David Stephen Rozman

David S. Rozman, 85, of Amherst, passed away on Sunday June 30th. He was born on October 21, 1938, in Northampton. His father, David, and his mother, Nadia (née Levitin), were Russian Jews from Odessa who had emigrated to the United States in the twenties. David's father received his doctorate in agronomy while his mother acquired a master's degree in arts. The couple eventually moved to Amherst where his father became a professor at the Massachusetts Agricultural College (now known, of course, as UMass). David was a bright child, graduating from high school in 1956 Valedictorian of his class. He went on to attend Amherst College but his otherwise promising career in academia was cut short by a mental breakdown in his sophomore year. Over the next sixty years or so David relentlessly grappled with mental health issues, exploring an endless variety of therapeutic options, primarily pharmaceutical in nature. While he managed to attain an equilibrium of sorts, he was unable to pursue the career in higher education which he and his parents had envisioned for him. Fortunately for David, his far-sighted father had established a substantial trust fund for him so that when he and his wife passed away (in 1974 and 1963, respectively) David was able to live comfortably for the rest of his life. David primarily spent his time reading and studying - a dedicated scholar in spite of his disability. He amassed a huge library on innumerable subjects. Of particular interest to him was religion, Judaism first and foremost (despite his not being a "practicing" Jew) although in his later years he developed a fascination with Hinduism. History, art, politics and psychology were preoccupations along with a childlike love for comic books and other manifestations of popular culture. David also was an avid collector of odd little statues and classic prints which filled his modest living quarters to overflowing. Though he lived the sequestered life of an ageing bachelor he was quite active in attending lectures, diverse musical performances, and art shows, making good use of the rich cultural milieu of the five-college area. David never married but seemed quite content with his scholar/hermit lifestyle. After a series of medical interventions beginning with a quadruple bypass and mitral valve replacement in 2011, culminating in an operation to correct spinal stenosis a few years ago, David abandoned his solitary life in Amherst to live with his friends Stacey Temple and Deep Chinappa and their daughter Diya in Leverett. There David continued his customs of reading and collecting and watching news and classic westerns on tv but added to his daily routine a closeness to nature, feeding the chickens, sitting contemplatively by the pool... To say that David was a unique individual is to invite a criticism of cliché but nonetheless it is true. Words cannot capture how strange and sweet and fascinating (and sometimes exasperating!) a character he was...We will miss him dearly. He was buried alongside his parents at Wildwood Cemetery in Amherst on Monday afternoon. DROZDAL FUNERAL HOME OF NORTHAMPTON HAS BEEN ENTRUSTED WITH HIS SERVICES. For more information or to leave a personal condolence, please visit Drozdalfuneralhome.com.

David Stephen Rozman

October 21, 1938 - June 30, 2024