Rose’s Nursery named for Rose Benté Lee Ostapenko

Rose was a Lady of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher, the order that generously supports the life of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land and especially the works of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Rose was a generous benefactor and a small part of her estate went to the work of the day care centers of the Catholic Church in south Tel Aviv and in Jerusalem.

Rose Benté Lee Ostapenko, who passed away at the age of 95 on July 20, 2014, is remembered as a Catholic businesswoman and philanthropist who lived her faith through numerous works of charity

Born May 14, 1919, Rose was the youngest of 12 children. She studied dress design at the Marian School in Fulda, Germany, and immigrated to the United States in the late 1930s. She married Raymond H. Benté, and together they founded The Sewing Shop that eventually became The House of Fine Fabrics. The business eventually grew to 17 stores with more than 300 employees. When Raymond died, she ran the business until it was sold in 1978.

She married Robert E. Lee, a commissioner and chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, and became active as a philanthropist. Robert died in 1993 after 19 years of marriage. She then married Rear Admiral William M. Ostapenko in August 1999. With his help and counsel, she continued her many philanthropic works and also found time to publish her autobiography, “An American Dream”.

A generous benefactor to educations of higher learning and facilities for the elderly, she also contributed to the United Jewish Appeal Foundation and her love for the elderly led her to support the Jewish Council for the Aging, where she was named to the Founder’s Circle in 2000.

She is also remembered in south Tel Aviv for her generosity. May her memory be a source of blessing.

We thank the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher for its support!