Benjamin “Ben”/“Rojo” Roujansky
April 21, 1923 – September 30, 2017
From the 95th BG Memorials Foundation Facebook page:
In deepest sadness, the Memorials Foundation and the Heritage Association announce that Ben “Rojo” Roujansky of Orangeburg, NY, left formation on the early morning of 30 September 2017 at age 94. Ben was a 336th radio operator. Folded wings.
Ben attended gunnery school at Yuma, AZ. He was thereafter assigned to Milo Trbovich’s crew, which flew from Station 119 from February through May 1945. In England, Ben developed a lifelong affinity for the 95th, which he considered to be the definition of “a great outfit.” He was a devoted and energetic attendee at reunions stateside and at Horham. He was simply one of our finest.
Ben was born in Kishinev, Romania, on 21 April 1923 during his parents’ journey to the United States. As his obituary in The Journal News (NY) reads, “Alexander and Rifka Roujansky brought Ben to the safety of America and put down roots in the Bronx, New York. Two more sons followed, Murray and Edward. Two daughters, Florence and Esther, did not survive childhood.
“Ben enlisted in the United States Air Force in December of 1942. He was a radio operator/gunner on the B-17 for the 95th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force. He served in combat missions overseas based in Horham, UK, from 1944-1945. After World War II, Ben went on to be Post Commander of the Jewish War Veterans Post 731 and Commander of the Raymond W. DeMeolia Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1615. Ben was most proud of being an officer and member of the 95th Bomb Group Memorials Foundation.
“After his military service, Ben married Lillian Friedenreich Ranno, and they welcomed four children: Carol, Daniel, Sue and Judy. Outgrowing their Bronx apartment, they moved to the budding suburbs of Orangeburg, New York, where Ben was active in local politics and maintained his home for 59 years. To the end of his life, Ben served as a docent at the Camp Shanks Museum, guiding tours and explaining how the community looked from its first days.
Alexander had started a business, Roujansky Insurance, in which his sons were eventually employed. Ben continued to run the agency after his father's retirement. He eventually partnered with longtime friend and associate Joan Rosenstein but remained active in the agency until his passing.
“Ben was predeceased by his parents, brother Edward (Rita), sister Florence, and three pieces of his heart: his beloved wife Lillian and two of his daughters, Carol and Judy. He is survived by his son Dan (Arlene) of Miami, Florida, and daughter Sue from Albuquerque, New Mexico. A brother, Murray Roujansky, survives him, along with four nieces and a nephew, and extended family throughout the country.
“Funeral services are set for Tuesday, October 3, 2017 at 11a.m. at Hellman's Funeral Home in Spring Valley. The family will receive guests and sit shiva at 2 Cypress Lane in Orangeburg, between the hours of 3:30pm and 8pm.”
Throughout his life, Ben never forgot his heritage or his parents’ sacrifices to ensure a freedom that he cherished and fought to protect for future generations. He was proud to pass that freedom to his children whom he loved so dearly.
Our sincerest condolences to Sue, Dan, and Arlene. In the words of our own Nina Rothman, “May God comfort the family among all who mourn and among the mourners of Jerusalem.”
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