'He was an eternal optimist': Former Port Hueneme mayor, progressive advocate dies at 91
Murray Rosenbluth, a former Port Hueneme mayor and a champion of social justice, died Saturday at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard.
Rosenbluth’s health had been declining for months due to heart issues and emphysema, which worsened in the last two weeks, his family said. He was 91.
Rosenbluth served three terms on the Port Hueneme City Council from 1996 through 2008, and two terms as mayor in 2000 and 2005.
“He was an eternal optimist,” said his wife Margaretha Van Oostenrijk. “He had a positive outlook. I think that’s what helps you live to 91.”
Rosenbluth was born in Philadelphia in 1931 and was stationed in Europe during the Cold War. He was honorably discharged from the Army as a captain in 1956.
Armed with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in chemical engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia, Rosenbluth worked as an engineering manager with Procter & Gamble Co. for 30 years. His time with the company led him all over the country and world.
Because he and his family moved around for his job, P&G eventually brought Rosenbluth to Ventura County in the 1970s. He loved the area so much, he moved to Port Hueneme in the mid-1980s when he retired.
As a kid, Ellen Rosenbluth remembers her father traveling for work during the weekdays but dedicating the weekends to his family.
The two would pick out three books at the local library and then giggle to each other as they talked about what they were reading. She said they were often shushed by library staff.
“He loved libraries,” Ellen Rosenbluth said. “He believed that was the best way to get young minds interested in the world. If you can read and find adventure in books, that was the best thing that could happen to you.”
He spread his love of learning to his community in 2001. The Rosenbluth Family Homework Center has helped students at the Ray D. Prueter Library in Port Hueneme ever since thanks to his financial support.
During his time on the City Council, Rosenbluth advocated for a livable wage and was a member of the Ventura County Living Wage Coalition.
With his colleague Maricela Morales, the two were able to pass a living wage ordinance in 2004 that ensures businesses that have been awarded city contracts pays its employees livable wages.
Rosenbluth was also a founding member of Central Coast Alliance United for A Sustainable Economy in 2001, serving as a board member for a decade. The nonprofit, commonly known as CAUSE, advocates for working-class and immigrant communities along California’s central coast.
Morales, who sat on the City Council from 2002 to 2010, remembers Rosenbluth as being a mentor and a friend.
“His conviction and integrity for social justice was always on fire, to the end,” Morales said.
Rosenbluth is survived by Van Oostenrijk, children Harry, Ellen and Josh Rosenbluth and two grandchildren. His first wife, Adele G. Rosenbluth, died in 2001.
The public is invited to Rosenbluth’s memorial at Temple Beth Torah at 7620 Foothill Road in Ventura at noon on Feb. 28.
Brian J. Varela covers Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Camarillo. He can be reached at brian.varela@vcstar.com or 805-477-8014. You can also find him on Twitter @BrianVarela805.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Murray Rosenbluth, former Port Hueneme mayor, dies at 91
