Kirk B. Roose's Obituary
Kirk Roose Obituary
Kirk B. Roose, 71, an attorney, tennis player, activist, and barbershop harmony aficionado, died peacefully at home in Oberlin April 27, 2018 after a long illness. Roose was born in New Haven, Connecticut and spent much of his childhood in Oberlin. He attended Swarthmore College—where he played varsity tennis and met Diana Wickes, who would become his wife of 49 years—and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. In 1980, after a stint on the East Coast, they returned to Oberlin, where he started his own law practice, specializing in Social Security disability law. That firm, now known as Roose & Ressler, has helped thousands of disabled Ohioans receive Social Security benefits.While a junior high school student in Oberlin, Roose was recruited into a barbershop quartet with three of his friends, who called themselves the Barbersharps. A chord was struck, and barbershop harmony became a lifelong hobby. As a member of the Barbershop Harmony Society, he sang in numerous quartets, directed award-winning choruses—including a performance at Carnegie Hall as the director of the Big Apple Chorus—and arranged hundreds of songs in four-part harmony. Many of his arrangements are still sung by groups all over the world.A member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Roose remained politically active throughout his life, with special concern for issues of social and economic justice. Early in his career, he worked for Ralph Nader’s Center for Study of Responsive Law, as a lawyer for the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors, and an attorney for the Fair Share Housing Center in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.He enjoyed playing tennis and walking along the shore of Lake Erie. He is survived by his wife Diana, his sons Carl and Kevin, his mother Gretchen, and his siblings Tina, Deborah, and Paul. His father, Kenneth D. Roose, died in 2016.A memorial service will be 1:00 p.m. Saturday May 19, 2018 at Lakeview Park in Lorain. Arrangements are in the care of Dicken Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 323 Middle Avenue, Elyria. SERVICES Memorial Service Saturday, May 19, 2018 1:00 PM Lakeview Park Lorain, Ohio
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