February 25, 1932 - November 10, 2021
Rose, beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother passed away peacefully at Menno Home in Abbotsford on November 10. She was 89.
Rose is together again with her husband, Ernie, who passed away on July 15, 2021. The couple had celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary six weeks earlier.
She is survived by her children, Valerie (Philip), of Ladysmith, and Gary (Linda) of Sherwood Park, Alberta along with three grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren.
Rose was an outgoing Christian woman who loved to share her faith with others - often over black coffee and sweets.
Born in Ashcroft, B.C. on February 25, 1932, Rose moved to Quesnel in the early 1950s where she found work at a breakfast diner. Rose soon met Ernie - a compositor and part-time cartoonist at the Cariboo Observer. By 1954 they were married and four years later the couple and their two young children moved to Maple Ridge.
Rose, who became a Christian in the 1960s while attending the Maple Ridge Baptist Church, was involved in many aspects of the church, including bible study and prayer. She and Ernie joined the Abbotsford Baptist Church after moving across the Fraser River in 2003. Rose was also active in the Gideon's Bible ministries and the Shantymen's Christian Association.
She returned to Douglas College in the early 1970s to complete her Grade 12, a move she parlayed into managerial jobs at two separate facilities for disabled adults in Maple Ridge.
A devoted wife, she also drove Ernie to his Chalk Talk and Initial Cartoon sessions across the Lower Mainland for several decades.
Rose was a go-to hostess over the holidays, welcoming everyone with festive meals and scrumptious baked goods. She also spent countless hours sewing, knitting and crocheting for family and friends.
In her husband's 2019 cartoon book 'Welcome to the Past' Ernie wrote, "Rose sacrificed a lot to allow me to entertain with my drawings and chalk talks. And while she did drive me to countless functions and acted as a sounding board for my ideas, her biggest sacrifice was giving up the kitchen table, so I could pursue my passion with pencil and paper."
The family wishes to thank the entire staff at Menno Home for the loving care they gave Rose.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Mennonite Benevolent Society.