Leonard David Rosenthal passed away Sunday, January 31, at his home in Los Gatos, California, surrounded by his loving family including his wonderful wife, Pearl. On February 15, they would have celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary.
Leonard was born on July 3, 1922, to Otto and Esther Rosenthal in Oakland, California, and grew up in Oakland and the Mission district in San Francisco. He played baseball throughout his youth, and fondly recalled watching all of the DiMaggio brothers play ball in San Francisco. He graduated from Oakland High School and then attended the University of California at Berkeley. Leonard's studies were interrupted by World War II. He served in the U.S. Army with the 44th Division, 7th Army, and was in Austria when the European war ended. He returned to his studies at Berkeley, and received a B.S. in 1948.
After his return to Berkeley, he met Pearl at Hillel and they were married in 1947. They moved to San Francisco where Leonard began working as an accountant, received his CPA and established his own accounting practice. Their son Mark was born in 1949 followed by their daughter Gwen in 1951. They moved to San Jose in 1958, and then Los Gatos, where they have resided until the present.
Leonard started an accounting practice in San Jose and was active in the CPA Society, eventually serving as president of the Santa Clara chapter. He was active in his synagogue, serving on its board and as treasurer, and he was active in numerous nonprofit organizations.
But the love of his life was his family. He was predeceased by his sister Renee and brother Marvin. In addition to his wife and children, Leonard leaves behind his daughter-in-law Lisa, son-in-law Doug, and his four granddaughters and their families: Emily and Adam Weinberg and their daughter Zoey; Amy Kaplan and Jonathan Pilch and their son Micah; Lindsay and Josh Klein and their sons Ethan and Gabe; and Cora Kaplan. In addition, he is survived by many loving nieces and nephews, in-laws, and friends.
Leonard enjoyed sports, playing bridge and reading. He taught his children never to go anywhere without a book. One of his family's favorite memories was the weekly trip to the library. A highlight for him was the annual family trip to Hawaii. He had many adventures with his grandchildren, and loved big family parties.
A service for Leonard will be held at Congregation Shir Hadash at 20 Cherry Blossom Lane, Los Gatos at 11:00 am on Tuesday February 2, 2016. Internment will follow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Hillel of Silicon Valley or Congregation Shir Hadash.