Obituary of Samuel Leonard Rosenthal

Samuel L. Rosenthal, 85, passed away on the morning of Tuesday, October 21, 2025. Sam had been living in Larchmont, NY for over 50 years. He was born in Manhattan in 1940 and grew up in Brooklyn and Queens, graduating from Flushing High School in 1958. He was a graduate of Dartmouth College with a degree in Chemistry in 1962. From Dartmouth, Sam went to NYU Medical School. There he met and married his wife Betsy (Elizabeth Robbins Rosenthal, MD) and received his medical degree in 1966. He served in the army at Fort Devens, MA from 1970-1972 and then moved back to New York, where he practiced medicine for 45 years, mostly as a primary care physician at the Manhattan VA Hospital on East 23 rd Street.

An avid bicyclist, Sam rode all over the state of New York, all over the United States and all over the world. He and Betsy traveled to many different countries on 5 continents, often to tour on bikes. When not at work or on his bike, Sam was most often found in his garden, where he cultivated a huge array of beautiful flowers and delicious vegetables year after year. He made weekly trips to his local library. He loved to read, especially about world history and politics and though he did not play an instrument he shared his extended family's deep love and appreciation of melody and music. Known to many as a shy and serious person, his close friends and relatives knew that he had a silly sense of humor and a love of the ridiculous. Most of all, he loved being with his wife and his family and he delighted in the time he got to spend with his three granddaughters.

Sam is survived by Betsy, his wife of 60 years, His three sons Tom, Ben and Marc, Tom’s partner Sera, Ben’s wife Cheri, Marc’s wife Ereni, his three granddaughters Meira, Ariel and Eva, his brother Frank and his family.

A memorial service will be held at 11:30AM on Sunday, November 23 rd at John J Fox Funeral Home at 2080 Boston Post Rd, Larchmont, NY 10538 followed immediately by a reception around the corner at the Larchmont Public Library’s community room: 121 Larchmont Ave, Larchmont, NY 10538