Richard L Barnett

Dr. Richard Lawrence Barnett, 72, beloved physician, educator, spouse, parent, and friend, passed away Wednesday December 10, 2025 surrounded by family. While it was far too soon and was not the exit he wanted (he once indicated he would have preferred to go on the descent from Mount Everest), he left knowing his time here saved so many lives— and changed many others for the better.

Richard was born on June 18, 1953 in Yonkers, NY to Toby Frank and Daniel Barnett. A gifted student with an inexhaustible work ethic, he became the first person in his family to attend college, graduating from Columbia University and SUNY Downstate to become a physician. In his years of residency and fellowship at Baltimore City and Einstein, he discovered his love of developing new processes, the chaos of training new residents, and critical care medicine. In his fellowship at Einstein, he managed to set the record for the most renal patients referred for endocrine consults. Several years later, he married the endocrine fellow. They have been married for 39 years, during which he was always grateful for their love and intellectual partnership.

The care he extended to his patients and colleagues was also reflected in his love of family. Despite engaging in an at-times grueling work schedule, Richard always made time for his loved ones. In any given week, you might find him with his wife and kids at a gourmet grocery store (preferably Zabar’s), the New York Botanical Garden, the Museum of Natural History, or virtually any historic site within a two hour drive of his home. He loved deepening his knowledge of the world, reading voraciously and discussing culture, sports, politics, and science any chance he got. He loved traveling to national parks, dragging even the most reluctant hikers along to see all that the natural world had to behold. He loved watching the Mets (and the Jets, Rangers, and Knicks), despite the many years of disappointment. He believed in the things he loved and loved the things he believed in, against any odds.

He was proud of his children, his relationships, and the life he lived well. He was particularly proud of all of the staff, the projects, and the improved outcomes he worked toward for decades, most recently within the North Shore-LIJ Health System. He delighted in knowing he spent 40 of the past 47 Julys bringing on new residents and fellows, though he always would have loved to do one more. His love for living, doing, and improving– all with an irreverent sense of humor– is too great to be captured by words alone. If you ignored the realities of biology and medicine, you might have believed he could live forever.

He is survived by his wife Dr. RoseMarie Pasmantier, daughters Roberta and Elizabeth, and brother Bruce. Known by many names— Rich, Rick, Ricky, Barnett, Dr. B, Dad— he will be missed by all who knew him. He lives on in the work he did training countless medical staff, in the patients’ lives he touched, and in the relentless pursuit of self-improvement on behalf of his loved ones (lest you think he will stop bothering you about losing weight or doing more resistance training).

A funeral service will be held at Schwartz Brothers-Jeffer Memorial Chapels, located at 114-03 Queens Blvd, Forest Hills, NY 11375, on December 12, 2025. The service is scheduled to begin at 11:30 am and conclude at 12:30 pm. The service will be available via live stream

Following the funeral, a committal service will take place at the Sanctuary of Abraham & Sarah, Cedar Park and Beth El Cemeteries, located at 735 Forest Ave, Paramus, NJ 07652, on December 12, 2025, from 2:00 pm to 2:30 pm.

In Lieu of flowers, please make a donation in memory of Richard Barnett to Northwell Foundation. Donation button below.