Benjamin Charles Rosenthal

1992 - 2021

Benjamin Charles Rosenthal
Durham, NH - Benjamin Charles Rosenthal, 28, of Woodridge Road died unexpectedly on March 22, 2021 at his home in Durham.
Benjamin, our gift from God, his spirit, returned to God who gave it on March 22, 2021. First and fore most Benjamin was a Christ man, a Christian who loved the Lord. He chose to be baptized at and was a member of the Durham Evangelical Church. Benjamin saw the world black and white, right, and wrong, and struggled with the confusion, compromise, and ways and pressures of this world. He was a quiet, sensitive, disciplined, hard-working, honest, polite, respectful, considerate, and conscientious young man with strong feelings and opinions.
Benjamin was our miracle child. But for the collective prayers of our brothers and sisters in Christ to Almighty God, am convinced, Benjamin would not have survived a difficult pregnancy and very premature birth, nor overcome developmental challenges caused by the aforementioned but for a number of teachers and neighbors who grew to love him. Despite those significant challenges, Benjamin graduated with High Honors from the University of New Hampshire Thompson School - Small Animal Care Program, co-owned and operated SonRise LandCare, LLC, which provides land care services to residential property owners, and was recently employed by the Department of the Navy, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, as an enrollee in the Apprentice Program as a Painter/Blaster.
During his brief tenure at the shipyard, he received excellent performance appraisals as well as awards. Supervisors and instructors noted his strong work ethic, politeness, conscientiousness, and affinity for detail. Supervisors also noted that he exhibited an eagerness to dive into his assignments, a willingness to take on tough jobs, and "Portsmouth" pride in his work. His written goals included to learn, study, and improve everything about being a Painter/Blaster, learn how to be an inspector, to attend all classes required, complete assignments on time, pass each class, and graduate in three years. These bear witness to his desire to contribute to the defense of our nation, as many in our family had done in the past.
Benjamin was extraordinarily unique and precious, and we say that, as best we can, not as subjective parents, but as objective witnesses to his life. He would, at times, use quotes to express his feelings and reference and dwell upon scripture, the following most often:
- After saying, "I Love You", he would then say to us "To Infinity and Beyond" - Buzz Light Year
- And when he sought to persevere, to finish an assignment or job, he would say, "Just Keep Swimming" – Dora
- And his favorite scripture, from the New Living Translation, Romans 5:1-6:
"Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners."
And then there were what his mother and I called "Benjaminisms". At times, he would naturally express unique words that combined other words or thoughts, and when you thought about them, they made perfect sense, but these are his mother's and mine for us to cherish and remember. There was so much depth and beauty to Benjamin, have scarcely scratched the surface, but done our best to concisely to make known "Benjamin" to all and reveal his impact upon our lives.
His mother and I could not have been prouder of his efforts to meet the challenges of his life. Those who were privileged to really "know" Benjamin, could not help but love him – he was so special. To say he will be missed is a gross understatement. He provided so much joy, our heart aches at the thought of a life without him. That said, we find comfort, peace of mind, and hope knowing he loved the Lord, that he now resides in the merciful and loving presence of our Heavenly Father…and that we will see him again, all to the glory of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus.
Benjamin is survived by us, his parents, Steven J. and Kerry Rosenthal, brother, Steven G. Rosenthal, grandmothers, Lydia Kelly and Treva Rosenthal, aunts and uncles Janet Cockran-Tolliver, James and Michelle Rosenthal, Brad Rosenthal, Corey and Charlene,Dupree, and Jeremy and Jean Armstrong. He is also survived by cousins Austin Cockran, Mitchell and Kourtney Griffin, Jacob, Daniel, and Madison Rosenthal, Michael and Kayla Stange, Jami Miller and Jordan Hensen, and Olivia, Paula, and Katie Armstrong. His grandparents, George Rosenthal, Michael and Janet Stange, and John Kelly, as well as uncles Joel Rosenthal and David Stange preceded him in death.
Benjamin did not wish to have a formal funeral or memorial service, so his mother I hope this letter will serve as a loving memory of our precious Benjamin. Donations in remembrance of Benjamin, if so moved, would be made to the "The Bowery Mission" for the homeless, located at 227 Bowery, New York, New York via its website https://www.bowery.org/. This was the site of Benjamin's first mission trip, which he often called into remembrance as his most wonderful experience, washing dishes, pots and pans, and organizing the walk-in freezer, amidst those in need.
This letter can be viewed at Kent & Pelczar Funeral Home & Crematory's website https://www.kentandpelczarfh.com/obits.