Phyllis Ruth Roth / Ross

http://clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2009/06/10/life_cycles/deat...

  Phyllis Ross (née Rothkopf), an actress and lifelong supporter of the arts in Cleveland, died June 5 at age 91. Mrs. Ross appeared onstage at The Cleveland Play House, Dobama Theatre, Shaker Players, and the Jewish Community Center, as well as in several locally produced films and television shows. She continued to perform even while serving as director of volunteer services at Mt. Sinai Hospital, where she held several positions before retiring at age 70.

In the last 20 years, Mrs. Ross collected fine art prints as a member of The Print Club of Cleveland and volunteered at The Cleveland Museum of Art and MOCA. An avid traveler, she studied at Case Western Reserve in the Senior Scholars Program and became a strong supporter of Democratic causes.
A graduate of Glenville High School, where she was noted for her acting ability, Mrs. Ross’s plans to attend Carnegie Institute of Technology on a drama scholarship changed when she met her first husband. After his death, she and business partner Henrietta Glickman opened The Knit Shop, selling yarn and patterns and offering knitting lessons. After she married her second husband, Mrs. Ross closed The Knit Shop and resumed acting.
Mrs. Ross was predeceased by her husbands Donald Roth and James Ross. She is survived by her daughters Nancy (the late John) Bernstein of Sun Lakes, Ariz., Daryl Susan (Tom) Dolan of Foster City, Calif., and Laura Ross (Leslie) of New York City; four grandchildren; and two step-grandchildren.
http://www.cleveland.com/obituary/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news-...

Phyllis Ross, 91, actress, hospital administrator Tuesday, June 09, 2009 Phyllis Ross was an actress and hospital administrator. Widowed twice at a young age, the former Phyllis Rothkopf co-owned the Knit Shop at Cedar Center and became director of volunteer services at Mt. Sinai Medical Center.

She performed at the Cleveland Play House, Hanna Theater, Dobama Theater and Jewish Community Center. She also appeared in local films and television shows.

She told me she met Donald at Cedar Point dance hall. Introduced by her friend Shirley's mother Molly. She was 16 but told him she was 18. He was 28.

Phyllis Ross, a lifetime resident of Cleveland’s east side, died of natural causes on Friday morning, June 5, 2009. Over the course of her long life, Phyllis reinvented herself a number of times, but a constant throughout was her deep devotion to Cleveland and its arts organizations.
Born in 1917 to Joseph and Lena Rothkopf, Phyllis attended Glenville High School, where she shone brightly as a versatile and affecting young actress. Her plans to attend Carnegie-Mellon [was it called that then?] on a drama scholarship changed when she met and married Donald Roth and they had two daughters, Nancy and Daryl. In the wake of Roth’s untimely death, Phyllis and a partner, Henrietta Glickman, opened The Knit Shop, selling yarn and patterns and offering knitting lessons.
In 19XX? Phyllis met and soon married James Ross, a business consultant. They had a daughter, Laura. Phyllis closed The Knit Shop and resumed acting locally, appearing at the Cleveland Play House, Dobama, Shaker Players, and the Jewish Community Center, as well as in several locally produced films and television shows. In 1967[?], Jim died, leaving Phyllis to once again forge a new path. She soon became the Director of Volunteer Services at Mount Sinai Hospital and continued to work there in several positions until her retirement at age 70, all the while continuing to perform in local theatrical productions.
In the last 20 years of her life, Phyllis traveled, collected fine art prints (as a member of the Cleveland Print Club), volunteered at the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Contemporary Gallery, studied at Case Western Reserve in the Senior Scholars program, and became an avid supporter of Democratic causes.
Phyllis is survived by her daughters, Nancy Bernstein of Sun Lakes, Arizona, Daryl Susan Dolan of Foster City, California, and Laura Ross of New York City, as well as four grandchildren and two stepgrandchildren.