Joan Berzon's Obituary
Joan Berzon, our incredibly lively and kind mother, teacher, friend, grandmother, sister, aunt and cousin passed away the week of May 15th. She was 69.
A longtime resident of Oakland, Joan loved adventurous travel, hiking, musical theater, the Warriors and Giants and spending time with her grandson and grandnieces.
Raised in Belleville, New Jersey, she completed her Bachelor of Arts at the University of Cincinnati in 1969. She completed a Masters in teaching history at New York University and later was certified as a special education teacher.
She moved to the Bay Area more than 40 years ago to be near her then-baby nephew and fell in love with her sister-in-law’s close friend, Lee Rosenthal, whom she married in 1976. She taught in the Hayward public schools and then several decades for the San Lorenzo public school district. She was a strong advocate for children with special needs in school. Her school leadership positions included being chair of the special education department at San Lorenzo High School and being senior class adviser.
After retiring from teaching in 2004, Joan maintained a busy schedule as a regular volunteer at the East Bay Children’s Theater and the Oakland Museum white elephant sale. She was also a constant site on the trails of the Bay Area, a reliable companion to her many loved ones and a world traveler to Asia, Africa, Europe and Mexico.
She recently returned from a 2-week trip to Morocco.
She was always generous: Every year for Passover, because she knew it was beloved by her family, she spent hours making what was perhaps the world’s best brisket. She hadn’t eaten beef in decades.
She was preceded in death by her husband and best friend, Lee Rosenthal. She will be missed immensely by her son, Noah Rosenthal, daughter-in-law Kimberly Rosenthal, grandson Elijah Rosenthal, brother Stephen Berzon, sister-in-law Marsha Berzon, niece, nephew, grandnieces, cousins and numerous friends, some decades-old and some more recent.
Memorial services: Temple Sinai, Oakland, Monday May 22nd. The family requests donations be made to the Oakland Museum of California, an institution she was devoted to.
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