Burton Rosenthal

Burton Rosenthal, a resident of Swampscott, MA where he lived with his loving wife Deborah Goldberg and where they raised their two children Jessica and David, passed away peacefully on Monday, December 11, 2023, at the age of 72, at home with Deb and his children, after a long, courageous battle with Parkinson’s Disease. He was a model of virtue and humanity to his family and the community around him.

Burt was born on February 23, 1951, in Brookline, MA, the second of two sons of the late Alfred and Anna Rosenthal, and the (four years) younger brother of Marty Rosenthal, who still resides in their Brookline neighborhood, and with whom Burt had a lifelong, strong, mutually admiring brotherly bond. Burt’s parents worked hard (both were teachers, and Al also sold furniture at his brother-in-law’s store), they valued family, education, and the exchange of ideas, and they adored their sons. Burt and Marty grew up in a two-family house, also with their maternal grandfather, Dr. Morris Kaplan, and their dear Kaplan cousins, Rhoda Sarver and the late Barbara Cohen. Living together in that family constellation instilled in all of them a deep loyalty to family, including extended relatives.

Burt graduated from Brookline High School in 1968, where he was the president of his class, and then traveled across the Charles River to Harvard College, graduating in 1972 as a member of Phi Beta Kappa and with highest honors in economics. After his freshman year in college, while attending an end-of-summer Camp Tevya barbecue, Burt’s fate changed when he met Deborah Goldberg. On August 7, 1977, Burt and Deb tied the knot in the backyard of Deb’s parents Simon and Ethal Goldberg in Marblehead, and soon thereafter settled in Swampscott where they lived in the same house since 1979.

After college and a short stint working on arms control policy at the Kennedy School, Burt attended Harvard Law School. When he graduated, a family friend introduced him to the then-head of the New England division of the National Labor Relations Board. This marked the beginning of Burt’s roughly 40-year career in labor and employment law, first at the NLRB and then 30+ years at Segal Roitman in Boston, regarded by many as the preeminent regional law firm focused on unions and employee rights.

Burt was a brilliant and tireless advocate on behalf of his clients, many of whom became close friends – steel workers in Pittsburg, building tradesman and utility workers in Boston, graduate students across New England, entrepreneurs and executives in the biotech industry, and on and on. He was passionate about his work and the values of the union movement – solidarity, community, and an empowered citizenry. Burt was a pillar of the labor and employment bar, earning the respect of those on both sides of the table, at one time leading the Mass Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Section, and being honored by his peers in 2010 with the Cushing-Gavin Award for service in the labor relations community. And most important to the ever-humble Burt was the special partnership he shared with a wonderful group of colleagues at Segal Roitman, a partnership that lasted even as he worked fewer hours later in his career, then after his retirement, and through his declining health in recent years.

Burt’s main love was always family, starting with Deb, his wife of 46 years, who was first drawn to Burt by his kindness and decency. They shared enthusiasm for nature, a sense for adventure, good food (her great cooking, not his), a tight-knit group of friends on the North Shore and beyond (including the renowned Shabbat Group), an obvious caring for others, political causes, and most of all devotion to their family, particularly their two children. Burt and Deb treasured Jessica and David (and later their spouses Jon and Tali, respectively), and more recently their four grandchildren – Anna, Noah, Jack, and Ethan (with a fifth due soon). And the feelings were mutual. Burt enjoyed nothing more than spending time with and celebrating his family – whether relaxing at home, hiking and camping in the woods, cheering them on at school functions and youth sports, riding the ups and downs of Boston sports together, or celebrating life’s milestones.

Outside of work and family, Burt was committed to enriching his community. He provided years of pro bono counsel and volunteer time to the Epstein Hillel School and other organizations in the area, and was a longtime member of Temple Sinai and the Jewish Community Center, both in Marblehead. Burt taught at Northeastern Law School, was active in the local Democratic Party and the Swampscott public school system, and always enjoyed a good political debate.

Burt’s toughest challenge was Parkinson’s Disease, with which he was diagnosed in his late 40s. He took the challenge head on, through disciplined exercise, and trial and error with medications and medical procedures (including as he joked, his “brain surgery hobby”). Burt and his family always greatly appreciated the medical care he received, especially the care of Dr. David Simon at the Beth Israel Hospital. And most importantly, Burt carried on in the face of the disease with a good-natured and near-superhuman grit that was backed up by the support and care of his loved ones, in particular his wife Deb. He continued to work for another 20 years after being diagnosed, and his resilience and determination were admired by everyone around him.

Burt tried to make the world a better place, and the world is surely better for him.

Funeral services will be held at 10 am on Wednesday, December 13 at Temple Sinai in Marblehead, with a graveside burial to follow at the Temple Sinai Cemetery in Danvers. Memorial observance will be held on Wednesday afternoon starting at 1:30 pm, -- with minyan at 4 pm – at the Rosenthal home in Swampscott. Memorial observances will also be held on Thursday between 2-5 pm – with minyan at 4 pm – and on Friday between 2-4 pm, at the Rosenthal home. Contributions in Burt’s memory may be made to the Epstein Hillel School in Marblehead.