Veteran Monmouth County Democrat and long-serving chair of the Shrewsbury Democratic Committee, Norma Frisch Rosenbloom, passed away Sept. 26, 2022, her 96 years of seemingly endless energy reserves notwithstanding.
A native of Brooklyn, Norma attended the Eastman School of Music and then graduated with a degree in psychology from the New School for Social Research in New York City. She married her late husband, Philip Rosenbloom, on Halloween in 1946, and the couple took up residence above Phil’s family print shop in Asbury Park. With the birth of their first son, David, the family moved to Interlaken where Norma quickly established herself as a leading advocate for civil rights and an active worker for the NAACP.
During this phase of her life, Norma raised three sons and supplemented the family’s income by working as a music teacher at Ranney School. When her sons reached college age, Norma shifted gears by attending Rutgers Law School, then passing the New York and New Jersey Bar. After a stint with the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s office, Norma worked as a family lawyer with Abrams Gatta in Ocean Township. Following her retirement, Norma continued advocating pro bono for recovering substance abusers in halfway homes and victims of domestic violence.
During this same period, Norma and Phil split their time living in Manhattan and Monmouth Beach, while also touring all seven continents. This inseparable couple enjoyed ballooning, parasailing and amassing an extraordinary collection of objets d’art (and tchotchkes.)
An ardent feminist, Norma served on the board of Planned Parenthood. Throughout, she was a grassroots organizer for the Democratic Party, earning a reputation as a mentor for candidates at the county and state levels, respected for her savvy political insights and at times brutal honesty.
In 2003, with Phil’s sudden passing at age 78 on their 57th anniversary, Norma moved to a senior neighborhood in Shrewsbury, where she continued as an indefatigable presence in Monmouth County politics right up to the final days of her life. Among many awards and distinctions, Norma in 2019 was presented with the Woman’s Suffrage Award by the Monmouth County Democratic Women’s Caucus “for her selfless service and dedication to women’s rights.”
Sharp as a tack, Norma was ever a voracious reader on an astounding range of topics: American history, women’s rights, legal philosophy, and detective mysteries. She was an enthusiast of the theater whether in New York, London or Red Bank. And she had such an uncanny ability to knock off New York Times crossword puzzles that, when one time she had some difficulty, she presented herself to a hospital emergency department.
Norma is survived by a brother, Richard Frisch in New York City, and by her three sons, Dr. David Shepard, a psychologist in Los Angeles; James Shepard-Kegl, an airline pilot in Portland, Maine; and Dr. Eric Shepard, an anesthesiologist in Baltimore. She also is survived by her grandchildren, Melissa, Luisa, Marlon, Erik and Yuri, as well as her great-grandchildren, Myron, Bruce, Taylor and Grayson. Norma doted upon them all.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13 at Temple Beth Miriam in Elberon. Norma was a regular donor to Planned Parenthood of Central New Jersey, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the Monmouth County Arts Council. The family respectfully ask that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to those charitable organizations.
To her many, many friends, her sons offer the solace that Norma led an extraordinary, productive and fulfilling life.
The article originally appeared in the October 6 – 12, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
