Samuel Rome, 86, a founder of the Rome Associates accounting firm and an advocate for people with epilepsy, died Friday, June 7, in Northwestern Memorial Hospital of complications of heart disease and a stroke. Born and raised in Chicago, Mr. Rome received a bachelor’s degree from the Lewis Institute, now the Illinois Institute of Technology, in 1938. His post-graduate studies in accounting were at Northwestern University and DePaul University. Mr. Rome served in the Navy as a lieutenant commander from the early 1940s until 1946. In 1952, Mr. Rome founded Rome Associates in Chicago and led the firm for 30 years until his retirement in 1982. In the early 1950s Mr. Rome developed epilepsy. Concerned with raising awareness and removing the stigma attached to the condition, he co-founded a suburban epilepsy group, headquartered in Lombard. “He’s always been very, very concerned with the rights of people with epilepsy,” said his wife, Florence, known as Louise. Mr. Rome was the president of the Horace Mann Elementary School PTA in Oak Park in 1960 and 1961. After 10 years of living in Oak Park, Mr. Rome and his family moved in 1963 to River Forest, where he became active in local politics, attending town meetings and serving on a Boy Scouts council. In 1990 he and his wife moved to Lake Forest and to Chicago four years ago. Mr. Rome was a distinguished life member of the Illinois CPA Society. He is survived by three sons, Robert, David and Donald; and eight grandchildren. A private service will be held Tuesday.
