Rhoda Ringel

Rhoda Ringel (nee Miron) passed away in Pikesville, Maryland on Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 98 years old, just three weeks shy of her 99th birthday.

Born on October 8, 1927 in Brooklyn, NY to parents Anna (nee Silberman) and Sol (Solomon) Miron, she is survived by her daughter Betsy F. Ringel and son-in-law F. Kirk Kolodner of Baltimore, grandchildren Joshua Nathan Kolodner and fiancée Courtney Cox of Arlington, VA, Rebecca Ann Kolodner, MD (Michael Mathison, MD) of San Diego, CA; granddaughter Jillian D. Ringel (Brett Robinson) of Jacksonville, FL, great grandchildren Patricia Robinson and Kyle Ringel; and grandson Seth A. Ringel (Karly Ringel) of Glenville, NY and great-granddaughters Madigan Ringel and Kinsley Ringel.

In addition to her parents, Rhoda was predeceased by her older sister Gilda Miron who died in childhood, her husband of 60 years Stanley B. Ringel (1922-2012), her son Steven Z. Ringel (1959-2014), and former daughter-in-law Patricia A. Madigan (1962-2009).

Rhoda grew up in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY and attended Midwood High School where she excelled as a student. As was the practice in those days, she skipped ahead a few grades and enrolled in Brooklyn College at age 16 where she received a Bachelor of Arts and a master’s degree in social work. Her first job as a social worker was caring for elderly clients in Brooklyn. Rhoda was a talented musician, mastering the French horn and piano, and at one point teaching piano lessons to visually impaired students. She had a lifelong love and appreciation of the arts including classical music, opera, ballet and modern dance and frequently attended live performances in Albany, Saratoga, Lake George, Tanglewood and Jacobs Pillow.

Rhoda met her future husband Stanley on the tennis court at a resort in the Catskill Mountains. They were married in NYC in 1952 and not long after moved to Albany, NY where Stanley ran an Amana freezer franchise, then worked in the investment and insurance business, and ultimately became founder and chairman of Coradian Corporation, a publicly traded company and early innovator in the telecommunications industry. Rhoda worked at the University at Albany (formerly SUNY Albany) in the early 1970’s on programs aimed at supporting the success of first generation and low-income college students. She earned a second master’s degree at the University in Guidance and Personnel.

Rhoda was a 50-year survivor of breast cancer. After her diagnosis in 1975, she retired from the University and joined Stanley in serving on the boards of several Albany area nonprofits in both the Jewish and secular communities. Together they created the Ringel Institute for Gerontology at SUNY Albany in 1988 to seek innovative solutions to the challenges facing older adults in several areas including housing and healthcare.

Throughout her life, Rhoda enjoyed and sustained many close friendships, including ones from her extended group of NY- and Boston-based cousins, childhood and college years. She and Stanley had a wonderful and wide group of interesting friends in the Albany area and in Sarasota, FL where they spent some winters. They were longtime congregants at Temple Israel and members of Colony Country Club (where both were avid tennis players). Rhoda was particularly pleased to be a hands-on grandmother with her first grandchildren, Jillian and Seth. She delighted in spending time with them, taking them to events and introducing them to her circle of friends.

In the early 1980’s, Rhoda’s life shifted dramatically after Stanley contracted a resistant strain of meningitis on a trip abroad. He spent months in a coma, miraculously emerging after brain surgery. Rhoda was his primary caregiver over the many years they focused on his recovery and rehabilitation. Her strength, love and determination enabled him to live an independent life. In the mid-1990’s they left the Albany area, relocating to Baltimore, to be closer to family and take advantage of assisted living options not available in New York state at the time.

All who knew her will miss Rhoda’s smart determination, feistiness, good humor and loving kindness. Contributions in Rhoda’s memory may be sent to Hadassah of Greater Baltimore, Brooklyn College or Beth Am Synagogue.

Services at Sol Levinson's Chapel, 8900 Reisterstown Road, Pikesville, MD 21208, on Tuesday, September 22nd, 2026, at 11:00 am. Interment Har Sinai Cemetery. The family will be in mourning at 2006 Sulgrave Ave, Baltimore, MD 21209. The family will be receiving guests from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm on September 22 with services at 7:00 pm