Margaret Mary Rosenthal

Margaret Mary Mcleod born October 26, 1945, at Mercy Hospital in San Diego California. Margaret, one of six children to Roderick Julius Mcleod and Margaret Louise (Tibbals) McLeod in San Diego, Mercy Hospital.

As a baby the family moved to Bishop where Margaret’s father became the administrator of the hospital during the war and Margaret’s mother, trained as a surgical nurse at mercy hospital in San Diego stitched up the locals when they got into fights. Margaret’s grandfather Walter raised cattle and had a meat market, and her grandmother operated what became Rusty‘s bar which still exist on the main stretch of 395 and Bishop today named for Margaret’s uncle Rusty at the time. Margaret and her siblings always maintained to this day a very special relationship with Bishop and the Sierra’s with numerous trips to see her uncle Joe and Don and her Aunt Helen.

By the time Margaret started primary grade Escondido, the family had moved there because Margaret’s father had taken the hospital Administrators’ job at Palomar hospital and during his time also started the design to build the Pomerado hospital in Poway and a few of the old-time Hospital administrators and Hemet really were mentored and trained under Margaret’s dad in Escondido.

Margaret was one of six children and is survived by her oldest brother Rod, a retired CPA, her brother Larry, Texas, and sister Anne, Architect in The Hudson River Valley NY, her brother Don and youngest brother Steve had passed before.

In Kindergarten Margaret’s brother Rod saw her kiss a boy and put a quick stop to that!

Margaret graduated Escondido high school in 1963 having thrones of friends, enjoyed Palomar College and a happy life and enjoyed experiences that included a winter as the voice on the radio for Heavenly Valley for the ski report and time in Hawaii in the 60s working in restaurants where she had a close friendship with the founders and owners of the Chuck’s Steakhouse chain.

In 1968 Margaret spent several months in New London, Connecticut supporting friends that opened the first East Coast Chuck’s steakhouse. At that time Margaret was 23 years old and there was a 15-year-old boy working in the kitchen on weekends, prepping vegetables and washing dishes named Howard.

Howard always remembered this beautiful blonde lady friend of his boss also a mentor to Howard, Margaret however said she did not remember him!

Margaret went onto travel Europe with her best friend Robin after working in Hawaii together and then New London Connecticut briefly at Chuck’s with a little bit of modeling one winter for Buick some office administration and ultimately the counseling office at Palomar College in the late 70’s. Back in the late 60s Margaret and two girlfriends and others owned a restaurant in the South Shore Lake Tahoe, where Margaret was known for making the restaurant's cheesecake.

In late September 1975 Howard was contacted regarding a new Chuck’s steakhouse to be built in Mystic Connecticut down the street from the old little drawbridge over the Mystic River and Howard, could play a role helping the Manager James “Butch Roger’s” a dear friend of Margaret and Howard and being part of the team that would get it ready to open and operate.

In later February 1976 Mike Law the owner of Chuck’s steakhouse let Howard, know that his old friend Margaret, who had helped them train people before was coming out and would need someone to show her around and where to rent a place. Mike had hired Howard at 14 years old and was an important significant mentor. Today looking back, it was Mike that linked Margaret and Howard together. Margaret and Howard’s close friend Butch has remained close all these years as well. Butch text me and said that Margaret was one of his absolute most favorite people in this world. I called Mike Law in Kaui to tell him Margaret had passed but most importantly to tell him thank you for introducing me to Margaret because without Chuck’s Steakhouse Margaret and Howard would never have met.

This past March was 49 years since Margaret and Howard joined together.

On June 26, 1976, Howard sold his first BMW motorcycle jumped on an airplane and chased Margaret back to San Diego arriving with $42, a Jewish kid from Connecticut in love with a Catholic girl from California.

On paper, they were not likely a couple to make it. Two different cultural ends of the country, two different religions and an eight-year age difference. Margaret told Howard, on the second date, that she couldn’t have kids and not to really get involved. Howard instantly had no concern about the issue.

Howard knew from the beginning he had won the lottery to be with Margaret, he married up and he would’ve never achieved the same success in life without her. Howard thinks likely he would still been on a little 350-year-old street in a small Connecticut town founded in 1652 operating a hot dog cart wearing a dirty apron!

Margaret’s family the Mcleod’s became the next big bonus in life for Howard, his other family with the Mcleod nephews, nieces, great nephews, and great nieces along with Margaret’s Mom, Uncles and Aunts and siblings which have all been enormously important in the life of Margaret and Howard as his own siblings and his nephews and nieces on the Rosenthal, side of the family are.

Margaret and Howard’s nephews Stephen and Leslie McLeod’s boys Bryan and Kim, RJ and Savannah and great niece Grace, and Stephen and Katie and their children, great nephews and great niece Rylan, Dane, and Ava and sister Anne and Steve Bassett’s adult children Tyler and Melissa and baby Sophia Rose, daughter Emma, late brother Don his widow Michelle , Don and Jan’s children Barbara Foster, Don Neubaum , Barbara and David Foster’s children our great nephew Tate Foster and great niece Audrey Foster , nephew Michael and Kathy, great nieces Reiley, Mackenzie, and Megan and Niece Laura, Jay and great niece Ruby, and Rod’s daughters Niece Lynda and Matt, nephews Mitch and Lauren and great nephew Luke, Nephew Carter and Hannah, Nephew Hayden, and niece Anne Lemmon and Richard, great niece Rachel and great nephew Richard all along with the Rosenthal Clan are Margaret’s biggest fan club. Niece Lynda named her years ago, simply, the “GOAT” in the McLeod family.

Margaret’s relationship with the Rosenthal Family , includes Howard’s 5 other siblings David and Carolyn, Susan, Simie and David, Libie and Rob and Dene and Andy, and their nephews and nieces all grew into strong loving sister relationship with her always having fun and being an important mentor to Howard’s sisters and their children Joe, Aaron, Stacy,great nephew Andrew and great niece Madison Bernier, Lindsey and Adam, Jason, and Jesse and Matt and Sam that called Margaret Aunt Pie. Over the years, Margaret and Howard ‘s mother Harriet and Father Norman built a very special loving trust and closeness as well with Margaret and she loved all the Rosenthal, family. Margaret helped care for Norman in 1989 when he had complex surgery in Ca and was a parental mentor to baby sister Dene. and sister to all Howard’s siblings, the love across both families was and is amazing, a blessing, a gift.

In July 1982, Howard was offered a consulting job to try to fix a broke shopping center called farmers’ corner. Margaret and Howard were living in Carlsbad where Howard surfed twice a day and they began coming out on Mondays and going home on Thursday nights traveling Highway 395 since highway 15 was not built yet.

Through the initial opportunity that led to a relationship with the Bank of Hemet and its CEO Jim Jaqua who contracted with the Bank for the Bank’s real estate development division. Jim and Susie Jaqua became instant friends and fun ensued.

Margaret and Howard moved permanently in May 1987 to the old Oscar Brudin property in citrus area of Valle Vista. Margaret and Howard have always known the blessings of becoming part of the San Jacinto Valley, where the old families made room for us and so many families so many friends treated Margaret and Howard as if they always lived here. We always told Jaqua it’s because of you we live here.

The Physician community became extended Family. Dr’s Chaudhuri, Dr Carvalho, Dr Drake, Dr R Gupta, Dr Nakka, Dr Mehta, and Dr Rastogi and their families became close friends and treated Margaret and like family. All these years were so special because of the community and friends centered around family and faith.

Margaret’s friends from here to Escondido to Nevada and Hawaii and Connecticut are so special and meaningful to her.

Margaret became active in the assistance league enjoying working in operation school Bell and the wonderful women that she shared work time and volunteer time, she loved.

Sailing in the South Pacific, the British, Virgin Islands and the sea of Cortez with Eric and Gisela. Trips to Bora Bora, dinners and fun with Guy & Nancy, all the different Hawaiian Islands, the Bahamas, Zihuatanejo with the Jim and Susie Jaqua, Montana and Wyoming with Simie and David, and over three decades of every summer in the Sierra mountains with our McLeod family fishing, mountain biking with the boys, and breaking bread and some McLeod mischief are Some of the best memories of Margaret and Howards life together.

Howard, became a contracted consultant to the bank in 1984 and Guy Excell joined Howard and what they were doing at the bank of Hemet in real estate development under Jim Jaqua which led in July 1987 to Howard and Guy and Margaret opening their business where Margaret ran the front operation and the accounting as the CFO and brought her intellect, discipline, smile and wonderful personality with calmness for success to the team. Margaret and Guy became close at work and friendship.

The story of Margaret Mary Mcleod Rosenthal is the story of an amazing special woman from a family from the old West of great values and structure and family culture and the accidental opportunity or perhaps destiny that brought Howard and Margaret together since they had crossed paths working in the same restaurant years before without knowing a future awaited them.

Margaret has been best described as a butterfly with the ability to call in the hawks and talk to them. She could land on a flower without disturbing a pedal and move in the breeze and not disturb anybody else’s space.

Margaret would have been a great CIA agent or a spy because she would never divulge something told to her in confidence, and you would never know that she knew something that was not to be shared. Her integrity, her character, her intellect and her gentle smile and warmth that everybody received equally were always understood by everybody that encountered her as just plain special. Everywhere and anyone that ever-met Margaret would comment about her smile. The most honest, sincere warm smile imaginable.

On March 15, barely a few months ago Margaret and Howard spent eight nights in Hawaii celebrating 49 years watching whales from their hotel suite on the ocean having incredible dinners from the executive chef wheeled out onto the lanai. It was to be one more time celebrating their endless love and joy of their life together.

It is extremely difficult to say goodbye to those you love. Margaret was so special there will be many small holes left in many hearts. We greatly appreciate her McLeod and Rosenthal family, special friends, and her physicians, who brought so much support during the years in the San Jacinto valley.

Special thanks to the friend’s that found ways to help these past weeks and sister's Susie and Dene for the time to be with Margaret and help with her needs the past few weeks.