Kevin "Kevvers" Rosenthal, 57, of Bellingham, WA, passed away on June 23, 2023 after squeezing every last drop of joy and life out of the challenging situations he faced bravely.  His fierce will to live enabled him many times to defy the dismal odds of dire health situations, and survive, thrive and re-build his life over and over again.  When you met him the big, easy smile he would flash was never a mask - he was just thrilled to be there.  

Kev was the born on March 24th 1966 to Dorothy Carol (Dottie) and Jerry Rosenthal in Miami Florida.    Not only  was close with both his older brother, Randy Scott, and his younger sister Debbie; three first cousins, Nancy Marci and Bonnie lived right next door. This little gang of kids was the center of Kevin's early childhood - one filled with family and fun in the groovy vibe of the early 1970's.

As a child he was sometimes referred to as Dr. Doolittle because he always seemed to be rescuing and nurturing neighborhood animals.  More often than not if you saw Kevin he would have a bird or a cat or even a snake in his hands.  His deep connection to animals would last all of his life.  He treated them as equals - would notice them when others were distracted - and the animals in turn became veery close.  As a young man he had a cat Bear who was like another one of Kevin's friends and known to let himself in by opening doorknobs and proceeding to casually swipe Kevin's pizza,  or take a lit cigarette from an ashtray and with head held high, walk around smoking with a swagger he had to have gotten from Kevin. 

Kevin had little use for school even though his superior intellect was obvious; his early I.Q. tests were north of 150 - genius range.   Few people can recall Kevin ever doing homework, yet many remember him being interested in exotic things and quickly becoming expert at them.   At a very young age Kevin had both the will and the energy to go out into the world and work to get what he wanted.  He was among the youngest of his peers to get an after-school  job, and saved enough from his Chinese restaurant earnings to buy an old Cushman postal cart to zoom around the neighborhood, impressing his friends long before they were old enough to drive. 

After high school Kevin went to work for the family clothing business, rapidly finding himself excelling at things for which he had no training, like reviewing legal documents and negotiating contracts.  While most of his classmates were still in college, Kevin was succeeding both professionally and financially, living the high life with  two apartments on South Beach.  Suffice it to say that he had many wild adventures in his early 20's - if you can image it, Kev probably did it.  It was also around this time Kevin suffered a back injury that left him in nearly constant pain for the rest of his life.  With this in mind, it is remarkable how rarely he ever complained.  We all have bad days and good days, and on Kevin's good days it was a party and you were invited! 

As his wild, 1980's South Beach life slowed down, he left the clothing business and focused his attention on early computing and quickly became a  programmer.  Exploring the far reaches of the text-based internet years before the World Wide Web, opened up many doors for Kevin.  It was around this time he  met and fell in love with Maleah Brock. They would in short time have five children: Tyler, twins (Kyle, Mitchell), Dory and Nathaniel.  Kevin's health deteriorated over time to the point where he could no longer work and became confined to a wheelchair.   Over the years they lived in Miami, Tampa, rural Georgia and Tennessee.  Kev and Maleah's divorce. It is noteworthy that they remained close through the rest of his life and she would accompany him on his last voyage home to Washington.

Remarkably rebounding from his medical issues, Kevin stepped out of his wheelchair and moved his family to Tampa where he became an important team member in his bother Randy's growing agency. Kevin instantly found his new home and his stride in Tampa. He made friends with countless people and everyone loved him. In his professional life, he once again, used his tremendous will and natural intelligence to rapidly go from zero experience to  managing technology projects for Fortune 100 companies like Johnson & Johnson, as if he had been doing it for decades.  He was often the first one to arrive at the office and held court around the coffee station, making people laugh.   He made friends very easily - nearly a decade since Kevin worked in Tampa, the UPS driver still asks about him. 

Kevin was a curious and spiritual person.  He saw people as they are and could engage in a meaningful conversation with anyone - on just about any topic.   While never abandoning his Hebrew heritage, he found a deep connection to Paganism - sometimes referred to as "the ancestral religion of the whole of humanity."  He had an interest in all things mystical and some knew him as Mystic Rose.  

Eventually his health issues and pain returned.  While he enjoyed and was proud of his traditional success in the professional world, his spiritual side was yearning to return to nature and he decided to move to the mountains of Bellingham Washington.  Ultimately he found a gorgeous spot way up on Mount Baker just miles from the Canadian border.   Breathing cool fresh air surrounded by majestic beauty, Kevin felt truly at home and could more easily find moments of peace.  Bellingham is a college town and Kevin often drove into town to take full advantage of the coffee houses, D&D shops and the vibrant youthful energy. Kevin's clean cut corporate persona gave way to the Mystic with bright colored hair, tattoos, painted nails and a beard. He said that one of his most enjoyable jobs was as an Uber driver shuttling college kids all over town.  Sometimes they would tip him in weed.  Overtime, with health issues increasing Kevin needed to come down off the mountain and found a home and community at an assisted living facility.  Of course, it was not long before Kevin was making coffee for the overnight nurses - helping them with small tasks and talking until dawn.  Kevin was the person who gently guided a confused resident, make people smile, or quietly sit and hold the hand of someone in their final days.  Again, Kevin made new, deep personal friendships.  

In 2022, his youngest son Nathaniel invited Kevin to come and live with him and his family in Georgia.  Kevin was thrilled to see his boy and finally meet daughter-in-law and two grandchildren.  By this time Kevin had past the 95th percentile for surviving some of his health problems and he entered a skilled nursing facility in rural Georgia.  In typical Kevin style, he quickly became alive with the challenge of making new friends and getting back on his feet.  The making friends part was easier than he expected, but his health was another story, and he wanted to go home to Washington.  On Sunday, June 18th 2023 he arrived back in Bellingham.  His oldest son, Tyler made Kevin his favorite meal - his mother Dottie's baked spaghetti.   He was so happy to be home and excited for what may lay ahead.   On Thursday June 22 , seemingly without pain, Kevin's body finally gave out.   His last words were, "It's serendipity! It's serendipity!"

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