Ronald Lee Rosenthal, age 75 years, husband, father, grandfather, machinist, outdoorsman, and family champion chess player died at 11:05 a.m. on Friday, October 23, 2020 with family gathered around at his home in Niles, Michigan following a brief illness. His family is grateful for the kind and professional care offered by the staff of Caring Circle Hospice at Home.
He was born on September 28, 1945 in Glendora, Michigan to Theodore and Adeline (Trapp) Rosenthal and was graduated from New Troy (Michigan) High School. He continued his education at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) where he majored in Mathematics. He later completed his bachelor’s degree as an adult at Southwestern Michigan College majoring in Business. His entire career was operating computer driven machines, first at Bendix Aerospace in South Bend, Indiana, and later at the former Elkhart, Indiana plant of PHD, Inc. until health issues intervened in 1998.
Ron was raised as a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Glendora and transferred to Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church after moving to Niles in 1968. He enjoyed camping with his family, often at the Three Braves Campground in Buchanan, Michigan. He also enjoyed hunting and fishing around White Cloud, Michigan, and cultivated a great vegetable garden at home. He was an excellent chess player, teaching his children and grandchildren the abstract strategy needed to beat all competition . . . except him.
On November 19, 1966 at Trinity Lutheran Church he married the former Kathryn Fay Hawkins and was looking forward to celebrating next month the remarkable fifty-fourth anniversary of their wedding.
When Ron was three years old, his father, Ted Rosenthal died in an automobile accident. He was also preceded in death by his mother and step-father, Adeline and Walter Nicely, Sr.; and by Ron’s siblings Virgil, Dick, and Dorothy Nicley.
Surviving family includes his wife, Kathryn Rosenthal and their children, Rebecca (& Jason) Reid of West Chester, Ohio, Todd (& Katrina) Rosenthal of Venice, Florida, Kari Carter of Niles, and Alisha (& Andrew) Bosler of Slidell, Louisiana; grandchildren Austin Rosenthal, Issac Rosenthal, Matthew Rosenthal, Elizabeth Rosenthal, Jaelyn Reid, twins Rylan Reid and Jerod Reid, Raelynn Reid, twins Zachary Carter and Joshua Carter, Jillian Bosler, Jacob Bosler, and Landon Bosler; great-grandchildren Blaze Rosenthal and Ily Rosenthal; and Ron’s siblings, Robert (& Linda) Rosenthal of Kalamazoo, Michigan, Leroy (& Ollie) Rosenthal of Three Oaks, Michigan, David (& Cheryl) Nicely of Three Oaks, Dan Nicely of Baroda, Michigan, and Walt Nicely, Jr. of South Bend; and many nieces and nephews.
The funeral service for Ronald Rosenthal will be at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church, 1340 Sycamore Street in Niles with the Rev. Joseph Liss of the church officiating. Committal will follow at Mission Hills. Those who prefer to witness the ceremony via the livestreamed broadcast may do so on the Halbritter-Wickens Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/halbritterwickensfuneralservices/.
The family will receive relatives and friends beginning at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday at the church. Contributions in memory of Ron may be made to Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church, 1340 Sycamore Street, Niles, Michigan 49120, https://www.stpaulsniles.org/. Arrangements were made at the Halbritter-Wickens Funeral Home in Niles. Online condolences may be left at:
www.halbritterwickens.com
Ron was a student of math, business, and chess – all intellectual activities which he enjoyed. He also enjoyed the outdoor activities of yardwork and gardening, hunting and fishing, and camping. The connection between the studious interests and the outdoor activities was always people – fellow students in the classroom, CNC operators at work, and most importantly his family at home in the yard, at the campground, or out in nature – and lifelong gathering with fellow Lutherans to worship the Source of these blessings.