Ralph Samuel Rothschild, a resident of Gainesville since 1994, passed away on December 26, 2014, surrounded by his loving family.Born in 1925 in The Bronx, New York, Mr. Rothschild is a veteran of World War II where he served in the Coast Guard on a troop transport ship and saw action in the Atlantic, African, and Asiatic/Pacific theaters of war. He was proud to have made 21 wartime crossings of the Atlantic Ocean.He attended Mohawk College in Utica, NY and Champlain College in Plattsburgh, NY before graduating from New York University.In the late 1940s he met his beloved wife Helen Rothschild and they moved to New Jersey in 1951, where they lived for forty-three years before moving to Gainesville in 1994. They were married for 63 years.In New Jersey he was employed by the New Jersey Department of Labor as a Field Representative, Wage Collection Referee, and finally as Chief of General Enforcement for the Office of Wage and Hour Compliance. He was also a founding member of the Kendall Park First Aid and Rescue Squad.In Gainesville Mr. Rothschild was an active volunteer in the Gainesville community. He served as a mediator for the Alachua County Court, a volunteer at United Way, and a counselor for the Florida Department of Elder Affairs. He was also former chairman of the Gainesville Men's Newcomers Club, a member of the Jewish Newcomers Club, and an active member of the Institute for Learning in Retirement.He enjoyed traveling with his wife to Europe, Canada, Australia, and the Fiji Islands, and yearly family vacations to the beach in St. Augustine.He is preceded in death by his wife Helen Rothschild in 2013, and is survived by his son Robert Rothschild (Cathy DeWitt) of Gainesville and daughter Emily Rothschild (Sue Brix) of St. Paul, Minnesota as well as nephews Joel Block and Paul Block.Funeral services will be at 11:00am on Tuesday, December 30th, 2014 at the Forest Meadows Funeral Home, Family and friends will gather at 10:30am at the Funeral Home for a time of visitation. Donations in Ralph Rothschild's name may be made to Haven Hospice of North Central Florida,www.havenhospice.org. Funeral Home Forest Meadows Funeral Home 725 NW 23rd Avenue Gainsville FL - 32609 US 352-378-2528