Remembering Gale Rothner

Gale Rothner and her husband, Eric “Rickey,” were inseparable in life, business, and philanthropy. Together, they funded major Jewish causes-JUF, JCC Chicago, JCFS Chicago, Chicago-area Jewish Day Schools, and many other institutions.

Rothner died on Oct. 26. She was 76.

She was born Gale Richman in Chicago in 1945. She played piano as a child, giving recitals and winning prizes. She went on to study at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and become a sign painter. She also worked for a time at CBS Studios in Chicago.

Her other artistic endeavors included “exquisite needlepoint” work, said her daughter, Katy Silvers. “My mother was extremely talented. Her hands were magic; everything she did turned to gold.”

It was while painting a restaurant sign in 1981 that she met Eric. He hired her to paint a sign for an arcade he owned. Eventually, Rothner worked in, and then managed the arcade. The couple were married in 1986. They later owned and ran Hunter Management, Inc., which manages nursing homes.

For the next 35 years, the couple were inseparable. At Rothner’s funeral, Rabbi Leonard A. Matanky said she was a “committed, compassionate, and dedicated woman who changed [her] community and the lives of many. She and Rickey built legacies in business, philanthropy, and communal leadership-and they did it side by side.”

One philanthropic gift stands out. The Millard House in Highland Park, built in 1906 by Frank Lloyd Wright, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. But then it sat unsold for years.

“They were at the point of tearing it down, and that’s when I got involved,” Rothner said.

She and Rickey bought the house in 2016 and spent years restoring and updating it. Then the Rothners gifted the home to JUF, with proceeds designated for CJE SeniorLife, in gratitude for the care given to her mother.

Rothner’s funeral was held at Congregation K.I.N.S., where she was a member. Matanky, the synagogue’s rabbi, praised her for spearheading a renovation project for its building, saying, “She took on projects others feared to tackle, then completed them with her personal flair and style.”

When Rothner, a single mother before marrying Rickey, and her three then-small children joined the congregation, they started observing kashrut, keeping Shabbat, and learning Hebrew.

“My mother was very unassuming and quiet. She never needed the spotlight or accolades for all she did,” Silvers said. “But she was also a strong, independent woman, a fighter. She was not in the background; she just quietly took care of things.”

Gale F. Rothner (nee Richman), was the beloved wife of Eric “Rickey” Rothner, the loving mother of Kimmi Rudolph, Adam (Lisa) Vales and Katy (Josh) Silvers, the proud Bubby of 13, and the dear sister of the late Melvyn (Betty) Richman. Memorials may be made to CJE SeniorLife. The Rothners are Silver Circle and King David Society donors to the JUF Annual Campaign.Arrangements were made by Chicago Jewish Funerals, with interment at Memorial Park Cemetery.