Richard Rosenberg, a former Newsday editor, dies at 65

Clever, kind, funny and well-dressed. Those were some of the words family and colleagues used to describe former Newsday copy editor Richard Rosenberg, who died on Sunday.

But his excellence at his craft was what really stood out during his 25 years at the newspaper from 1989 to 2014, former co-workers said.

"He was a very exacting and careful editor, but his strongest talent was his headline writing," said Liane Guenther, Newsday’s former senior features news editor and Long Island editor for business, and Rosenberg’s supervisor.

Rosenberg, 65, of Manhattan died following a battle with Parkinson's disease — something his family said he fought courageously for many years. He is survived by his wife of 24 years, Vivian Einstein-Rosenberg, and their daughter, Sofia Thea Rosenberg of Manhattan.

Rich Rosenberg was born in Boston and grew up in Westwood, Massachusetts. He graduated from Northeastern University and had newspaper jobs in Alabama and New Jersey before joining Newsday on Long Island, Einstein-Rosenberg said.

She said he was a dedicated family man who enjoyed planning getaways to places like Montauk and Cape Cod, and weekend outings to the park with their daughter. He was a committed Frank Sinatra and Yankees fan.

"He was a good husband, he was loyal and a very good dad," Einstein-Rosenberg said. "He loved his little girl."

At Newsday, Rosenberg worked as a copy desk editor, a job that takes skill and focus to catch errors. Copy editors are the last line of defense before a story goes into print. A particular skill of their craft is the often-challenging ability to write clever, memorable headlines in the tight real estate above a story on a page.

"Rich had a wonderful dry wit, and he was a terrific nuanced headline writer," said Jonalyn Schuon, a co-worker and now assistant news editor on Newsday’s business desk. "Any Newsday reader in the decades he worked on the copy desk can be sure that some of his headlines made them laugh, smile or think."

Guenther said that if she was struggling with a headline, she would often ask Rosenberg to take a stab at it.

"When he was done he would turn around with a sly grin and say ‘OK, it’s back to you,’ " she said. "I would look at the headline and wonder, where did that come from, how was it so perfect. The grin was because he knew he nailed it."

Although he was born in Boston, he lived the Manhattan aesthetic.

"He was the most New York of any person I’ve ever met," said Sylvia King-Cohen, a former news editor at Newsday who sat next to Rosenberg for years. "Ride the subway, Yankee fan, and he saw the world through a New York City perspective."

He was always well-dressed in a suit and tie, when most colleagues were more casually dressed. Both Guenther and King-Cohen agreed it was likely due to the Manhattan influence and his professionalism.

"And he never missed a day, driving all the way from Manhattan and back, back and forth until the tremors from Parkinson’s got so bad," Guenther said. "It was a huge loss when he said he was leaving."

Einstein-Rosenberg said her husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2009 and was saddened when he had to leave his beloved profession.

"He was a true newspaper guy," she said. "He loved the news, he loved the newspaper. At the end I always kept a newspaper on the table and I think that was a comforting thing for him."

A service was held on Wednesday. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Parkinson's Foundation.