ROSENBERG, JOHN ARTHUR May 20, 1949 – September 29, 2018 Loving husband of Jeannine Rosenberg (35 years), brother of Ellen Rosenberg, father of Lara Brooks (James), grandfather of Jacob, Joshua, Jonathan, former spouse to Tanya Mars (Rosenberg) and human to Don Diego the Golden Doodle.
Born and raised in Montreal to Gertrude and Bill Rosenberg, John briefly attended the University of Michigan, returning home to study and graduate from Loyola College in the early 1970’s while simultaneously embarking on an iconic 40-year career in the burgeoning Canadian book industry. For John, these were exciting times. Working at Classic Bookstore, 1327 Ste. Catherine Street, Montreal, with such book industry pioneers as Louis and Brian Melzack, he developed a deep love of books and retailing that later took him to Coles the Book People, The Book Cellar, Shakespeare Beethoven & Co., Lichtman’s, before he moved to publishing and became the Senior Vice President of Simon & Schuster Canada (formerly Distican) and later Director of Canadian Sales and Marketing for Kensington Corp. He retired in 2014. John was charismatic, charming, intelligent and witty, he loved life and lived it LARGE. When he wasn’t working, he enjoyed travelling throughout Mexico, exploring new restaurants, cooking, and of course reading. He left us after a long, hard battle with Lewy Body Dementia, a life altering disease with no known cure. He will be missed by many.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his honour can be made to the Alzheimer Society of Canada for research (alzheimer.ca), or to the Credit Valley Hospital Palliative Care Unit (trilliumhealthpartners.ca). Friends are invited to Celebrate John’s Life with us on October 27th, from 2-5 p.m. Please contact Lara at lara.brooks@gmail.com for location information.