Arlene Rosenthal, fierce advocate for the less fortunate in Palm Springs and beyond, dies peacefully at 79

Arlene Rosenthal, described by many as an indefatigable advocate for the most fragile among us, died Tuesday evening after battling illness, according to friends. She was 79. 

“Friends, it is with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to our sister, friend and advocate for the homeless and less fortunate,” a post on her Facebook page read Tuesday evening. “She passed away peacefully this evening. Arlene we will all miss you! Thank you for all you have done for each one of us and the community.”

Rosenthal, a graduate of UCLA who moved to the desert in 1973, had many roles in her life, including teacher, women’s rights and LGBTQ+ advocate, small business owner, and more. But her work as president of Well in the Desert — a nonprofit dedicated to advocating and aiding the less fortunate — will be what she is most remembered for here.

Unafraid to confront those who would question her methods at advocacy, she was often perceived as brash. But to those who knew her best, her approach was the type of leadership needed to help those who were often unable to help themselves.

“I’ve tried to understand me, but I can’t really look at me,” she told veteran Desert Sun reporter Bruce Fessier in a 2016 interview. “I have the mirror of other people. I’m not shy, but I’m shy about my internals. I’ve seen who I was, I’ve seen what I wasn’t, I’ve seen changes.

“I shied away from the idea that I was in leadership because I had been so outside the system from the ‘60s. Most of us were outside the system. We didn’t make it in the system. I have realized since then, I do leadership pretty well.”

Initially serving as a board member at the Well, she was eventually at the helm of the nonprofit for 21 years, directing its efforts to feed and care for thousands of underprivileged and unhoused residents in Palm Springs and the surrounding communities. In July, she stepped down from her role at the organization, choosing to spend time focusing on her health and family.

Rosenthal also served on a number of other local boards, including the Stroke Activities Center, Mizell Center, Desert Aids Foundation, and Opera Guild, helping to create Opera Under the Stars,

In a tribute written on his Facebook page Tuesday evening, Fessier recalled that Rosenthal “was a voice for the homeless, the LGBTQ+ community, women willing to lead, children needing a helping hand, and opera vocalists struggling to hone the beauty of their voices.”

“(S)he was not the face that Visit Greater Palm Springs would put on a tourism billboard,” Fessier noted. “She was a representation of all the people in the Coachella Valley that had a different kind of beauty — the kind that radiated after a shower, a warm meal or the sight of a giant Christmas tree.”

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