Richard Saul Rosenberg

Obituary for Richard S. Rosenberg

Richard “Dick” Rosenberg passed away on October 7, 2022 after a brief battle with cancer. Dick was born in Buffalo, New York on December 8th, 1936 to parents Joseph and Frances Tepper Rosenberg and raised in a loving household along with younger brother Arthur. Dick was a precocious child who grew up to enjoy downhill and Nordic skiing, backpacking and sailing.

While attending Brown University as an undergraduate, Dick took a trip to Europe along with friends during the summer of his junior year. On the very first day of their trans-Atlantic Ocean crossing, Dick and his friends spotted a small group of female students aboard the ship, making the same journey.  Introducing themselves, Dick met Karen Merrick. The pair would go on to marry and spend the next 64 years together.

After attending medical school at NYU, Dick did a fellowship in Cleveland, Ohio, a residency in Cincinnati, and a two-year stint as a doctor in the United States Air Force, stationed in Riverside, California. Settling in there after his service was completed, Dick joined the Riverside Medical Clinic as an Ophthalmologist, where he held the deep respect of both colleagues and patients alike. He and Karen would spend 20 years living in Riverside and raising their three children. 

Summers found Dick taking frequent backpacking trips into the Sierra Nevada with friends, or relaxing at their summer home in Laguna Beach. Winters found him enjoying the slopes at Mammoth Mountain. Dick had a deep appreciation for art in all forms, and enjoyed designing and creating mosaic pieces for his friends and family.

Dick was loved and respected by everyone who knew him, as he approached life with both humor and compassion. He is survived by his wife, Karen Merrick Rosenberg of Rancho Mission Viejo, three children, Gretchen Rosenberg, Kenneth Rosenberg, and Diane Sweeney, along with Gretchen’s partner Ned Rich and son-in-law Dan Sweeney. Dick’s brother Art Rosenberg and his wife Stella De Sa Rego reside in New Mexico. Grandchildren include Joe Harrison, Quinn Sweeney and Eva Sweeney.

Richard requested to be buried at sea with his family accompanying him for his final sail. 

Charitable donations in Dick’s name can be made to Doctors Without Borders and/or The American Cancer Society.  

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Richard Saul Rosenberg, please visit our floral store.