Rosalind Bard

Rosalind Kay (Roz) Bard Born January 21, 1947 in Manhattan an at Jewish Memorial Hospital, New York City.

Roz grew up in the Bronx, attending P.S. 70, Wade Junior High #117, and William Howard TaO High School. She graduated from City College of New York in 1967, English Major and Journalism minor.

Roz taught elementary school in South Bronx for five years before moving to Boulder to attend Grad school, where she received her MA in Counseling. She also has an MA in English Literature and a Psy.D in Counseling.

Roz spent most of her professional career working for the Counseling Center in Boulder. In addition to a full client load, Roz mentored Graduate School students while they attended Naropa’s Counseling program.

Later, Roz received her Psy.D from the Southern California School for Professional Studies at Irvine, and entered private practice, where she continued to work almost to the end, completing her goal to never retire. During Covid, she kept her two client offices open, but eventually worked exclusively from home via video teleconferences.

Roz was a frequent volunteer with I Have a Dream, Intercambio (teaching English), and at KUVO radio. She was a published poet and a member of the Boulder Women’s Writer’s Project.

Roz loved to travel and before she arrived in Boulder visited France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Amsterdam, France, England, Scotland, Mexico, Denmark, Italy, Montreal, and Quebec. Later, while living in Colorado, she visited Hawaii, Brazil, and Vancouver.

Roz played with a djembe drum group for seven years. Roz was involved with theatre most of her adult life. She met her husband back-stage at the Nomad Theatre in Boulder, and with him co-founded Actor’s Ensemble, Director’s Theatre and Dark Night Theatre. In 2010, she became a member of VIVA Theatre (The Society for Creative Aging) where she served as Vice-President and acted and directed for them. Her favorite role for VIVA was Emma Bugtown in Dude, it’s Boulder . Throughout her seventies, Roz studied playwriting.

Roz died peacefully at home in hospice care. Her husband and her friend Joan Podolak assisted her, fulfilling her desire to use Colorado’s Medical Aid in Dying program, and ended life on her own terms.

Roz was preceded in death by her parents, Etta Kramer Bard (1907 – 2002) and Harry Bard (1910 – 1996), and her sister Frances Ellen (Fran) Bard (1950 – 2001). Roz is survived by her husband, James Maxwell Mills (1949 – ), and their two dear cats, Smokey and Patches.

Roz was a member of Beth Ami – Colorado Congregation for Humanistic Judaism. She had elected to have a natural burial without a coffin and will instead be buried in a shroud. Her burial will be at the Lyons Cemetery on Wednesday, July 12 at 11:00 a.m.

Her final thoughts: “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intent on of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chardonnay in one hand, bonbons in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn-out and screaming Woo Hoo! What a ride!”