Fred Rosenthal
With great sadness for the loss and enormous gratitude for having had him in our lives, we announce the passing of Fred Martin Rosenthal of Branford at age 90.
If Fred’s life story had chapter titles, they would include “Growing up in the Beautiful Bronx,” “Adventures in the Merchant Marines and the U.S. Army at Home and Abroad,” “Carol & Fred – 69 Years of Love and Marriage,” “Dad, Grandpa, Papa and Papa Fred are my Favorite Names,” “I’m in Advertising,” and “Travels with my Wife and Camera.”
Fred was born in 1933, the son of Bessarabian immigrants, and grew up in The Bronx. Along with his beloved wife Carol, they raised four children in Trumbull and eventually relocated to Branford in 1990, where he lived until his death on Nov. 3. Fred’s professional career included the creation of advertising agencies in both New York City and Connecticut. He also served as the president of Jewish Family Services of Connecticut, took a leadership role in helping to bring Soviet Jews to our country, and enjoyed his fluency with the Yiddish language and culture.
While working to build a business and raise a large family, Fred also knew how to have fun, and those years were filled with many family camping trips, weekend drives in the station wagon, sailing in Long Island Sound, backyard parties, school events, and outings to his favorite places in New York City for nostalgia, sour pickles, deli, knishes, museums, Rockefeller Center, rides on the subway, and the joy of people watching. Fred was an avid traveler who started planning his next big trip almost as soon as he returned from exploring Italy, Israel, Morrocco, Denmark, Croatia, Holland, Austria, Hungary, Canada, and many, many other beautiful places. Along the way, he honed his artistic skills, taking his long-standing love of photography from a hobby to a primary focus of his golden years, enjoying displaying his photos in various Connecticut galleries, sharing slideshows with friends and relatives, and garnering many Best-of-Show ribbons and first-place prizes for his beautiful and evocative images.
Fred was larger than life, with a big, outgoing personality and many tales to tell. But for his family, his friends, and his community, he was a man you could always count on who sincerely wanted to help and took great pleasure in seeing those he loved succeed and flourish. Fred’s worldview was informed by a keen interest in current events, tempered by an impressive knowledge of history, and underpinned by dedication to social justice in both words and deeds.
Fred leaves behind his wife, Carol, and his children and their spouses: Joanne Rosenthal and Josh Katz, Ellen and Doug Tynan, Robert and Cindy Rosenthal, and Mindy and Seth Taber. He is also loved and missed by his grandchildren, Jennifer, Adrian, Gabriel, Michael, Emily, and Sam, and great-grandchildren, Jacob and Emma.
May his memory be a blessing. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (www.stjude.org).