Rose Martha Jaffe

Rose Martha Jaffe passed away peacefully at the age of 96 on December 20th, 2025, accompanied by her loving friends.

She was born to Sofie and Morris Wolkenstein on March 18th, 1929, in Brooklyn, New York. She and Norman met in an Adult Ed class when she was only 18 and they married soon after.

Norman and Rose moved from New York to Los Angeles, California for his work as a graphic artist with Kodak, and later moved to Santa Barbara in 1977. Happily married for 70 years, Rose and Norman travelled the world, served their local community, and loved each other deeply until his passing on August 13th, 2016.

Their passion to serve humanity manifested in various ways, including offering educational scholarships, feeding the homeless, and in Rose’s work as a UCSB teacher of English as a Second Language for 40 years. Many of her students became lifelong friends around the world and remained in contact with until her death.

Rose’s generous and lighthearted spirit was apparent when she would treat her best friends to her favorite Chinese restaurant and joyfully recant cherished moments from that day’s show at Ensemble Theater or the Opera. From dynamically managing travel plans, to cooking magnificent meals for a house filled with her students or friends, she always found a balance between work and play, while making sure that everyone around her felt appreciated and honored. Rose’s excellent memory, witty humor, and astute nature were her trademarks. During their, almost, five decades in Santa Barbara, Norm and Rose were extremely active in the community and were generous supporters of Santa Barbara City College, VNA-Health, Ensemble Theater, the Los Angeles Opera, and the Jewish Federation.

Rose utilized services from the Braille Institute, as well as borrowed equipment from the VNA Loan Closet as her vision and mobility declined. She participated for 20 years in a book club, and loved to attend activities of the Italian-American Club.

She was always on the go, and liked to say she had the mind of a 30-year- old trapped in a 90+ year old body! While Norman and Rose did not have any biological children, they left a legacy that will empower future generations to come.

Before Rose passed away, she founded Rose Shelter, an official 501(c)(3), with a mission to educate, feed, and shelter those in need through the compassion of Jesus. Rose’s bold faith inspired the establishment of this non-profit because she wanted to put God’s love on display in the most meaningful way possible.

Rose was a non-practicing Jew and did not subscribe to any religious beliefs until the final chapter of her life, where she came to believe in Jesus Christ. She called him JC for short. Rose Shelter is currently focused on three projects: 1.) to publish Norman Jaffe’s book, Journey to Freedom, a work that shares his triumphant escape from an Auschwitz concentration camp; 2.) to support an orphanage in Uganda; and 3.) to build an elderly care facility in Pakistan. The foundation hopes to create many more projects that align with supporting those in need to ensure that the kindhearted love that Norman and Rose Jaffe embodied will live on forever.

To get involved or learn more about the foundation, please visit www.RoseShelter.org A memorial service will be held on Friday, January 16th, 2026 at the Santa Barbara Cemetery Chapel at 2pm. 901 Channel Dr. Santa Barbara, CA 93108:

Please RSVP by the 13th via email at NormanRoseShelter@gmail.com or by phone at (707) 836-3380. Additionally, feel free to send any questions you have or memories you would like to share.

We give thanks for the love that Rose carried, and celebrate that she is now reunited with the love of her life, Norman, together forever.