April 2021 - 75

In Memoriam
Roman Rommelfanger | 1944-2021

Marvin Shapiro | 1927-2021

By Jim Schultz, Sheboygan WI
Roman Rommelfanger, a club director and Bronze Life Master from
Manitowoc WI, died Jan. 6. He was 76.
Roman was an experienced player
who competed in clubs in Wisconsin
and northern Illinois. When the
Manitowoc club was on the verge of losing its only
director, he studied to become a director to keep the
club alive. He also served on several Wisconsin Upper
Michigan Bridge Association committees (Unit 149).
Roman not only played with players from all levels,
but would play his partners' systems. He knew most
of the high-level systems to play with experts, but was
equally willing to play a most basic level if it suited his
partner, giving less-experienced players more opportunities to play. He helped many local players, myself
included, become Life Masters.
We often carpooled to bridge events. When Romy
drove, he was always safe, always dependable and
always on time. At tournaments, he would drive us to
wherever we wanted to eat or even to church services.
He not only arrived on time for the Green Bay club
games, but he was consistently one of the first people
there so he could make boards and give his partner time
to eat lunch, even making sure that one of the lessmobile players had treats from the refreshment table.
One snowy winter night after bridge ended in
Manitowoc, travel alerts advised us that the interstate
was closed, making it impossible for me to return
home to Sheboygan. Before long, I was in Romy's home
with his wife, Karyl, enjoying their warm hospitality as
if it been planned all along.
I liked to jokingly introduce Roman to our opponents as the creator of the Roman key card Blackwood.
That's perhaps the only thing he didn't do for bridge in
Wisconsin. When not playing bridge, he devoted several
days a week to a job helping people with special needs.
Roman faced many health challenges this past year
and passed away in January with Karyl by his side.
Romy will be missed in so many ways.
In addition to Karyl, Roman is survived by daughters Sonja (Joshua) Twedt and Monica Oas; granddaughters Emma, Morgan and Madelyn; brothers Alan
(Leanore) Rommelfanger, James (Sue) Rommelfanger
and Jerry (BJ) Birkhahn-Rommelfanger; as well as
nieces and nephews.

By Kenneth M. Bland, St. Louis MO
Marvelous has left the table. Marvin
Shapiro, a Diamond Life Master from
the St. Louis area, died Jan. 8 at the
age of 93.
Marvin first came on the St. Louis
bridge scene circa 1970. A St. Louis
native, Marvin had served his country as a merchant
marine in World War II and as an Air Force lieutenant during the Korean War. By the time Marvin moved
back to St. Louis, he had become a player of note.
Bridge-wise, Marvin was most proud of his top-10
and even some top-five national event finishes. Locally,
Marvin always managed to get in a rubber or two, late
in the day, at the Dorchester Bridge Club.
Quite the character at the table, he became known
as " Marvelous " around the club. Marvelous always
found great excitement with particularly good results.
Gloating and trash talking were deemed bad form,
so Marvelous found subtle ways to celebrate good
fortune. There was his patented spin move: Marvelous
would swivel 90 degrees, always to the left, and cross
his legs waiting for the next deal. Then there was the
water cooler gambit: After a particularly good rubber,
he'd get up from the table to get some, and one would
hear him say, " Marvelous has left the table! " The others would say, " He'll be back. "
Marvin last played in the St. Louis Regional in
August 2019 at 92. As usual, he played well. Sadly, he
won't be back.
Marvin was predeceased by his wife of 67 years,
Beryl. They were everything to each other. He is
survived by his daughters Jayme Norman (Walter)
and Lauren Gore (Mike), his sons Marvin (Martha)
and Howard, along with eight grandchildren: Leigh
Shapiro, Drew Shapiro, Travis Hennessey, Hailey
Hennessey, Alex Norman, Jessica Norman, Sarah
Shapiro and Maya Shapiro.
To all the bridge players in the community who are
saddened by Marvin's death, take solace in the fact you
now have a chance to finish first in the game at the St.
Louis Bridge Center.

April 2021 | Bridge Bulletin | 75

April 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2021