Yvonne L. Rosenfield, obituary
SPRUCE HEAD — Yvonne L. Rosenfield, 88, passed peacefully on Monday, March 30, 2026, in the home she loved.
Born April 7, 1937, in Houston, Texas, she was the daughter of Thomas and Beverly LaPlante Leyden. After completing her early education, Yvonne attended secretarial school before following her heart to a Design and Commercial Art College, where she earned a degree that set the course for a life beautifully lived. Art was not merely a pursuit for Yvonne, it was her lens. She saw beauty in the everyday world around her, a gift she believed flowed through the women of her family, tracing back to a grandmother, who had graced the stage in Ziegfeld Follies.
In 1965, Yvonne made her way to Florida, where she would spend many fulfilling years. There she put her talents to work as a designer at the prestigious Exotic Gardens Floral Shop, and earned recognition as an award-winning artist, exhibiting her work at the Norton Gallery in Fort Lauderdale.
Wherever Yvonne made her home, flowers followed. She later moved to Maine with her late husband, Judge Cole Rosenfield, settling for a time in Liberty on his family's farm before the couple found their way to Spruce Head. Ever resourceful and creative, she built and sold one home there before constructing her second, her favorite and her last. It was a space filled with treasures she had gathered throughout a lifetime, kept warm by the company of her beloved dog, Benny. She filled her days baking and assembling gift baskets for the people who mattered to her; doctors, neighbors, the mailman, dear friends, each one often tucked with her now-famous butter brittle.
At one remarkable chapter in her life, Yvonne owned and operated the White Stag Inn, an endeavor sparked by the discovery that Zelda Fitzgerald had once stayed within its walls. For more than five years, she ran the bed and breakfast with the grace and discerning eye that defined everything she touched, turning it into a place that radiated her warmth and singular sense of beauty.
Yvonne's larger-than-life personality, her charm, her creativity, her generosity, will leave an irreplaceable absence in the lives of all who loved her.
She was predeceased by two husbands and her brother, Jay Leyden.
Yvonne is survived by her daughter, Renee Finberg of Boca Raton, Florida; a granddaughter, Andrea (Andi) Wandt Johnson; a great-grandson, Hank Wylder Johnson; a cousin, Ada Attansio and her family; nephews, Tommy Leyden and Dana Leyden and their families; and cherished friends, Barbara Nickerson, and Pat and Peter Surette.
A memorial service will be held Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at 10 a.m., at Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home, 110 Limerock Street, Rockland. A reception and celebration of life will follow at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church, 150 Broadway, Rockland.
To share a memory or offer a condolence with Yvonne's family, please visit their Book of Memories at www.bchfh.com.
