Media - Documenting Maine Jewry

BERNARD H (BEN) ROMANOV -- OBITUARY

PORTLAND -- Bernard H. (Ben) Romanow, 87, beloved husband, father, brother and grandfather, passed peacefully on Oct. 23, 2012 after a brief struggle with cancer. Ben was born in Portland in 1924, the son of Samuel and Sara Romanow. He was married to his beloved wife, Miki, for 51 years until his passing. Together they raised two sons, Jason and Josh, and a baby daughter, Faith, who predeceased him. From his earliest days, Ben was warm, outgoing and a natural entrepreneur. As a young teenager, he proudly won a special contest for Maine paperboys for selling the most papers and was awarded a trip to the 1939 World's Fair in New York City. From there, his business interests blossomed. A gifted student, he attended Portland High School and graduated early from the University of Maine in Orono, earning a degree in mechanical engineering at age 19. He also played on the football team and was a member of the debating team. He was recruited out of college by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (predecessor to NASA), in Washington, D.C, and invented and designed aeronautic technology that was later incorporated into aerospace design. After the war, he continued his engineering work in Boston, but his entrepreneurial spirit ultimately brought him back to Portland, where he started selling silverware and furniture throughout Maine. Later, Ben and his brother, Harold, and their father, Samuel, founded Romanow Furniture, which served the Maine community with stores throughout the state. Ben was the creative mind behind hundreds of memorable Romanow Furniture newspaper, radio, and television ads that made several generations of Maine families smile, so memorable that Stephen King mentioned the ads in his latest book '11-23-63'. Ben was also a talented painter, and his paintings are treasured by his family and friends. Ben devoted much of his life to his faith, family, and community. He was an active member of Shaarey Tphiloh synagogue in Portland, where he served as a board member, chaired the religious committee, and was an active member of the Jewish Community Center. After they retired, Ben and Miki enjoyed winters in Delray Beach, Fla., where they belonged to Temple Anshei Shalom. He is survived by his beloved wife, Miki; Jason and Kara Romanow and their children, Carly and Jake, of Sharon, Mass.; Josh and Jennifer Romanow of Arlington, Va.; beloved brother Harold and his wife, Florence Romanow of Portland; and many friends and family whose lives he touched. Funeral services will be held at Shaarey Tphiloh synagogue at 1 p.m. today (Thursday), Oct. 25, 2012. The family will observe Shiva at 45 Brookside Road, Portland, Maine, from 4-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, and from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. Friday. The family requests that any donations be sent to Shaarey Tphiloh synagogue, Temple Anshei Shalom, or the American Cancer Society . Arrangements by the Jewish Funeral Home.

Thank you to Portland Press Herald for the information