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Shirley (Rosenberg) Bach

February 13, 2018
Kalamazoo, MI

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Shirley (Rosenberg) Bach, age 86, of Kalamazoo, MI died on February 13, 2018. Shirley was born in Flushing, Queens, NY, to Polish immigrants, graduated from Queens College, Queens, NY, and received her Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Wisconsin (Madison). She married Michael K Bach on June 20, 1954, moved from Wisconsin to Charleston, WV, and subsequently to Portage, MI, and then to Kalamazoo in 1962. Although trained as a chemist, Shirley became fascinated with medical ethics, and taught this at Western Michigan University until her retirement. She remained involved in teaching and on institutional review boards well beyond her retirement, having taught generations of students. Shirley was involved in the planning and implementation of WMU's Homer Stryker School of Medicine in Kalamazoo. Shirley loved travel with Michael, and also with organized tours to exotic corners of the world (including Antarctica, Galapagos, and Svalbard). She continued to have a passion for music, and took great pleasure in attending Kalamazoo Symphony concerts until a few months ago. At heart, Shirley was a teacher, and in or out of the classroom missed no opportunity to turn any situation into a learning experience for someone. Shirley lived in her home of 55 years until moving to Friendship Village in December. She was mobile, active, and enjoyed time with her many friends until recent weeks, when her health rapidly declined. She died peacefully on Feb 13 at Friendship Village. She is survived by her brother Milton Rosenberg (Barbara), sisters-in-law Dori Beckhard (John) and Rachel Kaplan (Steve), sons Mark (Barbara) and David (Jill), and grandchildren Camilla and Nate. Funeral services will be held at Temple B'Nai Israel, 4409 Grand Prairie Rd, Kalamazoo on Friday February 16 at 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Kalamazoo Nature Center or the Kalamazoo Symphony.