Obituary of George Michel Rosen

George Michel Rosen, born September 15, 1950, passed away from lung cancer at his Las Vegas home on May 29, 2017 at the age of 66. George was best known as a bond/stock trader, animal lover, musician, dancer and choreographer. He was also an avid supporter of the environment, ecology and energy conservation. George had dual American-French citizenship. His mother, Jeanne Bosdure Rosen, had the stage name of Jeanne Breval. She was a famous opera singer and is a fabulous impressionist painter (www.paintingsnet.com). His father, Melvin Stanley Rosen, was active in the military during World War II and throughout his career, and was also an entrepreneur/banker. George is predeceased by his younger brother Alex and his father. George's beloved daughter Luisa Rosen, grandson Nikolas Verdugo, and son-in-law Juan Carlos Escobar all spent time with him in May in both Scottsdale and Las Vegas. George grew up in Scarsdale, New York, Lugano, Switzerland, Paris, the French Riviera and Monte Carlo. He received his B.S. from the United States International University (San Diego) in 1974, and his MBA from Boston University in 1977. His father's brokerage firm was George's bond training ground from the age of 17. George was a brilliant trader, often trading simultaneously in several languages. He was fluent in English, French and Spanish, with a working knowledge of Italian and a smattering of German as well. George was a Vice President of Smith Barney, Paris, 1978-79 and Shearson Lehman 1979-1983. In the 1980s he was a branch manager and director at Thomson McKinnon, and also worked at Prudential Bache, Shearson Hutton, and Dominick & Dominick, all in Monte Carlo. He moved to the U.S. permanently in 1990. In Manhattan he ran the Wall Street Branch of Cantella and Company, a bond trading firm from 1991 until the late '90s. He moved to Oakland, CA at the beginning of 2000. He and his wife Laurie Cooperman were married on Bastille day in 2002. As a musician, George collaborated with many friends and colleagues, including his college roommate Stuart Copeland (best known as the drummer for The Police--they attended school together both in Switzerland and then San Diego). He later produced an album under the name "George – De La Musique Bien WAH, Les Ouaahs", on which George also sang and wrote most of the songs. George's additional talents and interests were many. He was an avid skier, world-class backgammon player (that's how he met his wife Laurie--online!), inventor (with a solar patent under his name), race car driver, rock climber and helicopter pilot. He honed many additional skills during his 11 years as a commercial building owner in Oakland. He worked side-by-side with contractors of various trades, learning from them and then applying his skills elsewhere as needed. George was compassionate toward animals. He frequently made donations to support a better life for many dogs, cats, and even an artistic Giraffe who paints at the Lion Habitat Ranch in Nevada. George is also survived by his beloved dog, Poncha. He found Poncha at the Oakland Animal Shelter. She couldn't be adopted until she spent several months learning to be around humans (by whom she had been abused). Despite that, she has always gotten along well with dogs. George ensured that she received in-depth training, both at the Oakland Animal Shelter and then at the Berkeley Humane Society, where she received her Advanced Canine Citizen diploma. She had been George and Laurie's emotional support dog throughout George's bout with cancer, and now travels regularly with Laurie between Oakland and Las Vegas. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the following nonprofit organizations: Friends of the Oakland Animal Services, www.oaklandanimalservices.org or by mail to Friends of Oakland Animal Services, P.O. Box 3132, Oakland, CA 94609 -OR- Berkeley Humane Society at https://berkeleyhumane.org/donate There will be a Memorial Service for George at his former home in Oakland on the afternoon of Sunday, July 30, 2017. Please contact Laurie Cooperman Rosen at Lscoop@comcast.net for additional information.