Obituaries
View our most recent obituaries for our Rochester and Victor locations.
John R. Rothbard
Add A Memories and Photos John and I were classmates at Brighton High School. He continued to keep track of my family and send me newspaper clippings. Very sorry for your loss.
Posted by Judy MacKnight on March 19, 2023
John was a classmate at BHS, class of 64. He also lived in my neighborhood. I had not seen him since graduation until my brother passed away almost 10 years ago. He visited me during shiva, which was so thoughtful of him I was very sorry to hear of his passing. Baruch Dayan Haemet. May he rest in peace.
Posted by Judy Perlman Brody on March 19, 2023
I have kept in touch with John for many years. We knew each other from Temple Beth El & BHS. As I recall, John had a mental health crisis in our senior year at BHS. He attended U of R part-time and eventually graduated with a degree in history - always his passion - despite other mental health crises, which continued through his lifetime. He was able to do some volunteer work post-college - in a library, I believe. He lived with his parents at 126 Glen Ellen Way until they died and continued living there. While visiting the cemetery once, I happened to see his parents’ double headstones. When I told him, he said he never had the emotional strength to visit himself. John visited the house of mourning when both of my parents died and speculate he did so for other acquaintances; making condolence visits is an expectation on Jews, which John dutifully fulfilled. He read newspapers voraciously, keeping track of BHSers’ accomplishments and family lives and sharing the the info with his correspondents. Local and national politics also interested him greatly. He sent me typewritten letters for many years and then handwritten ones; never used technology. He also clipped newspaper articles and sent them to me. In fact, he sent an article about a Jewish art museum in a private home in the Washington DC area (not far from my home in Baltimore) that I wouldn’t have otherwise known about! I visited it, and it was a worthwhile experience. He managed to live alone with the oversight of cousins and the assistance of a part-time paid caregiver. He told me she died about a year ago. I wondered how her death impacted him. For many years he held out the hope of marrying and was disappointed that hope never materialized. John lived life as best he could. May his memory be for a blessing.
Posted by Susan Russell on March 19, 2023
I knew John growing up on Glen Ellyn Way in Brighton as he was a neighbor of mine and lived across the street. We also graduated together from Brighton High School, class of '64. I often wondered how he was doing since our high school days. Very sorry to hear this sad news and my deepest condolences to his family on his passing. May his memory be for a blessing.
Posted by Sharyn Gelb Diamond on March 17, 2023
John was a classmate at BHS, class of 64. He also lived in my neighborhood. I had not seen him since graduation until my brother passed away almost 10 years ago. He visited me during shiva, which was so thoughtful of him I was very sorry to hear of his passing. Baruch Dayan Haemet. May he rest in peace.
I have kept in touch with John for many years. We knew each other from Temple Beth El & BHS. As I recall, John had a mental health crisis in our senior year at BHS. He attended U of R part-time and eventually graduated with a degree in history - always his passion - despite other mental health crises, which continued through his lifetime. He was able to do some volunteer work post-college - in a library, I believe. He lived with his parents at 126 Glen Ellen Way until they died and continued living there. While visiting the cemetery once, I happened to see his parents’ double headstones. When I told him, he said he never had the emotional strength to visit himself. John visited the house of mourning when both of my parents died and speculate he did so for other acquaintances; making condolence visits is an expectation on Jews, which John dutifully fulfilled. He read newspapers voraciously, keeping track of BHSers’ accomplishments and family lives and sharing the the info with his correspondents. Local and national politics also interested him greatly. He sent me typewritten letters for many years and then handwritten ones; never used technology. He also clipped newspaper articles and sent them to me. In fact, he sent an article about a Jewish art museum in a private home in the Washington DC area (not far from my home in Baltimore) that I wouldn’t have otherwise known about! I visited it, and it was a worthwhile experience. He managed to live alone with the oversight of cousins and the assistance of a part-time paid caregiver. He told me she died about a year ago. I wondered how her death impacted him. For many years he held out the hope of marrying and was disappointed that hope never materialized. John lived life as best he could. May his memory be for a blessing.
I knew John growing up on Glen Ellyn Way in Brighton as he was a neighbor of mine and lived across the street. We also graduated together from Brighton High School, class of '64. I often wondered how he was doing since our high school days. Very sorry to hear this sad news and my deepest condolences to his family on his passing. May his memory be for a blessing.
John and I were classmates at Brighton High School. He continued to keep track of my family and send me newspaper clippings. Very sorry for your loss.