John Saul Rosenberg, 73, of Charlottesville and formerly of Northern Virginia, passed away peacefully while surrounded by his family on March 23, 2024.

John was born on December 7, 1950 in Rochester, New York, the only child of the late Arthur Earl Rosenberg and Ruth Yalowich Rosenberg.

He is survived by the love of his life, Cecelia Gary Rosenberg to whom he was married for 40 years. Together they raised two sons who also survived him: Alex Rosenberg and his wife Jessica, and William Rosenberg and his partner Nina Whiting. He is also survived by his two granddaughters Melanie and Audrey Rosenberg.

John proudly served his country during the Vietnam era in the United States Army Reserve as a combat Engineer, eventually reaching the rank of Staff Sergeant before returning to civilian life.

As a child he would stay up at night after bedtime, secretly listening to the sports broadcasts that would come across the lake from Toronto. His love of sports is something that remained with him his entire life. He was an avid follower of Baseball, the English Premier league, Hockey and others; and was perhaps equally a critic of many of the Sports Journalists covering the same.

He graduated in 1974 from Syracuse University with a degree in Journalism. He had an active career as a journalist, traveling and participating in various professional associations, including in South America where he would present in fluent Spanish.

As Will and Alex grew up John instilled in them his own love of sports, yes, but also in reading. Reading was so important in the household that “books were a currency” in themselves. Later in life Mr. Rosenberg became an avid reader not only of sports literature, but also military history especially of the American Civil War, World War II, and Vietnam.

He was also an avid fan of cinema and would often quote various films as a sort of secret shorthand for situations, and everyone else in the family was expected to be up to speed on his references.

A Funeral Service will be held at 3:00 pm on Tuesday March 26, 2024 at Hill and Wood Funeral Home Charlottesville, with interment to follow at the Hebrew Cemetery. Rabbi Dan Alexander will officiate.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations in John’s name may be made to the American Cancer Society at P.O. Box 6704 Hagerstown, MD 21741 or online at cancer.org

For more information about memorial services, to send condolences, or any further information contact Hill & Wood Funeral Services.