Rosa (Hirsch) Blum

Rosa's miraculous story of survival of the Auschwitz concentration camp has served as an inspiration to everyone who has witnessed her speaking about it. Her dedication to telling her story to audiences young and old all over Texas and the region gave her life meaning above and beyond her family life. She literally touched thousands of lives with her telling of her story of survival. Her bravery is forever archived at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, where she and her beloved husband, Osias, were among the original founders of the Museum.

Her journey from her birthplace in Domokos, Romania to Dallas, Texas was bridged by her Holocaust experience. She lost her entire family of grandparents, parents and all but one of her six siblings. Only one older brother, Gedalia, also survived, and he settled in Antwerpen, Belgium.

Soon after arriving in Dallas, she married the love of her life, a Polish man named Osias Blum, in 1950. They eventually had two children, Mark and Gary, though Mark has born with deafness. His handicap became another huge challenge for them as very little provision was made for educating the deaf in those days.

Rosa worked as a seamstress for various companies, then eventually for herself. She really loved to sew and enjoyed meeting new clients. In 1998 she contracted breast cancer, and she survived that, too. The couple thrived in Dallas living in their Lakewood house for many years. Then in 2011, Osias passed away. She continued to occupy herself with sewing, regular speaking engagements and her love for aerobic swimming exercise with her friends at the Jewish Community Center of Dallas. She would drive herself every day to those swimming classes and loved every minute at the JCC.

Then in 2019, her son, Mark, passed away in his sleep, and left a huge void in her home life. Fortunately, she was still surrounded by the love of her son Gary and his wife Valeria, and the three grandchildren. In March of 2020, the Covid shutdown began and prevented her from having much of a social life. With the isolation and lack of activity, her walking capabilities declined, and she had to move to assisted living in 2022. About a year later, in April of 2023, she was hospitalized with pneumonia which eventually led to her passing on Friday, June 30th. She battled valiantly until the end, just like she did her entire miraculous life.

We honor her enormous legacy at this time of her passing----she was a shining light through a sea of darkness, and a true inspiration for our lives and for everyone she touched.

The family requests that any donations in honor of Rosa should be made to the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum.

A graveside service for Rosa will be held Monday, July 3, 2023 at 10:00 AM at Shearith Israel Memorial Park, 4634 Dolphin Road, Dallas, TX 75223.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.Sparkman-Hillcrest.com for the Blum family.