Long time Clifton business owner, Lawrence "Larry" Rothenberg, passes unexpectedly at 84

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Lawrence “Larry” Rothenberg died unexpectedly on June 5th, 2023 in Naples, Florida at the age of 84.

Larry is survived by his wife of 61 years, Marilyn, daughter Lisa, son-in-law Bill Wiegand, granddaughters Nora and Brenna, grandson Billy, sister Anne, brother-in-law Joe Delmastro, niece Lyn Delmastro Thomson and her husband Michael. He is predeceased by his parents, Florence and Sydney Rothenberg.

Larry was born on March 18, 1939 in Brooklyn, New York to Florence and Sydney Rothenberg. He graduated from Memorial High School in West New York, NJ in 1956, and Fordham University with a Bachelors of Science in Pharmacy in 1960. He married Marilyn (née Piacente), the love of his life, in 1961. A member of the ROTC at Fordham, Larry served in the U.S. Army as a First Lieutenant in San Antonio, Texas. In Texas, he and Marilyn welcomed their daughter Lisa.

After later moving to Teaneck, New Jersey, Larry opened Clifton Pharmacy, which he owned and operated for over 30 years in Clifton, New Jersey. Larry was passionate about his community, patrons, and employees. An extremely generous man, Larry went out of his way to support the people he cared about - one of his mottos, which he learned from his great aunt, was “whatever you give, you get back twice as much."

His family remembers him as a loving husband, father, and grandfather. A skilled handyman and king of gerrymandering creative solutions, his creations led to lasting memories for his family including awards for "most creative" cars in his grandson’s PineWood Derby races and a basement ballet studio for his granddaughters. Larry and Marilyn later retired to Bonita Springs & Naples, Florida in 2015.

At the end of the day, there was nothing Larry loved more than his wife, Marilyn, and his family.

Celebrations of life are to be held in Naples, Florida and New Jersey at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Wounded Warrior Project. Condolences and memories can be shared at https://memorialsource.com/memorial/larry-rothenberg. Carpe Diem.