Obituary: Harry J. Rosenthal

Harry J. Rosenthal, 88, of Longboat Key, died April 17.

Born in Meschede, Germany, Mr. Rosenthal left in December 1938 as part of the Kindertransport and lived in England until October 1947. He volunteered for the British Army and served in the infantry in North Africa and Italy. After World War II, he transferred to the Intelligence Corps, stationed in Austria.

Mr. Rosenthal came in 1947 to the United States. In the early 1950s, he acquired The Children’s Corner in Peekskill, N.Y. He eventually had stores in Mount Kisco, Bedford Hills and Yorktown Heights, N.Y., as well, which he operated until his retirement in 1992. In retirement, he volunteered with SCORE to help younger generations of businesspeople and also with Mote Marine Laboratory.

One of Mr. Rosenthal’s proudest achievements was taking a Dale Carnegie course to overcome his fear of public speaking. This served him well in later years when he served on several boards and spoke of his experiences in Nazi Germany.

A boxer in his youth, Mr. Rosenthal remained active his entire life. He enjoyed activities such as skiing, sailing, bicycling and tennis. He loved animals, as well.

Mr. Rosenthal was preceded in death by Edith, his wife of 62 years, and his sister, Margot.

He is survived by his son, Thomas; daughters, Carrie Rosenthal and Nanette Sheftman; five grandchildren; a great-granddaughter; and Rita Wolfson, his best friend of more than 50 years.

Memorial donations may be made to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, themmrf.org.