Lewis Rosewater

1936 - 2025

Rosewater, Lewis
RYE -
Lewis Rosewater, 88, of Rye, N.Y., died peacefully on March 11, 2025, at Calvary Hospital, in the Bronx, after a long illness. Lewis was born on December 9, 1936, in Philadelphia, Pa., to the late Edward and Maxine Rosewater (née Friedmann), of Elkins Park, Pa. He graduated from the Germantown Friends School in 1954 and from Oberlin College in 1959 with a B.A. in economics. After college graduation, Lewis spent a year in Europe, living with a family and bicycling through France and Scandinavia.
Lewis eventually settled in Albany, N.Y., where he met his future wife, Sondra "Sandy" Rosewater (née Garbowitz), at a New Year's Day party in 1965. A whirlwind romance ensued. They were engaged by February and married on August 22 of that same year, beginning a 59 year journey of family and love together.
Lewis and Sandy, along with their children, were longtime residents of Delmar, N.Y., and members of Congregation Beth Emeth in Albany. Lewis enjoyed a long career with the State of New York as a Senior Personnel Examiner, retiring in 1994. He was a former co-owner of the Downtube Bicycle Shop in Albany and treasurer of the Organization of NYS Management/Confidential Employees, a nonprofit advocacy group. He also volunteered with Big Brothers/Big Sisters and served as an editor of the Jewish World. Lewis had many interests, including choral singing with his deep resonant bass voice; bridge with his guy's group and couples group with Sandy; classical music; Gilbert and Sullivan musicals; and crossword puzzles. Lewis and Sandy were enthusiastic travelers who had the good fortune to visit many "bucket list" destinations, including the Czech Republic to find his family's ancestral roots as well as Australia, Israel, Greece, Italy, and Russia. A lifelong fan of Philadelphia sports, Lewis was thrilled with this year's Eagles Super Bowl win.
Lewis and Sandy spent recent years splitting their time between Westchester, N.Y., where they moved to be near their children and grandchildren, and Wells, Maine. Lewis is survived by Sandy; and their two children, Dr. Karen Rosewater (Ray Lopez) of New York, N.Y., and David Rosewater (Mary) of Scarsdale, N.Y.; their grandchildren, Jacob Rosewater and Toby Rosewater; sisters, Betsy Snyder (Bert) and Ann Rosewater (Robert Kronley); along with nine nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held at Levine Memorial Chapel, 649 Washington Ave., in Albany, N.Y. 12206, at 10:30 a.m., on Friday, March 14, 2025. Interment will follow at the Beth Emeth Cemetery in Loudonville, N.Y. Shiva will be held on Sunday, March 16, from 12 p.m. until 5 p.m., and Monday, March 17, from 3 p.m to 8 p.m., at the home of Mary and David Rosewater.
Those wishing to make a donation in Lewis's memory are invited to contribute to any of the following charities, which are meaningful to the Rosewater family: Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps, 5 Weaver St., Scarsdale N.Y. 10583, https://www.scarsdalevac.com/donate or Calvary Hospital, 1740 Eastchester Rd., Bronx, N.Y. 10461, https://fund.calvaryhospital.org/ways-to-give/ or Juvenile Law Center, 1800 John F. Kennedy Blvd., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103, https://jlc.org/ways-to-give
For directions to shiva or to leave a message of condolence for the family online, please visit LevineMemorialChapel.com