George Rose

George Riley Rose, 98, of Washington passed away on Monday April 22, 2013. at the home of his daughter in Delaware. Born in Dahlgren, Illinois on July 30, 1914, to Thomas Oliver and Ollie Sodders Rose, he was the seventh of eleven children. Gifted with a great memory, he knew a phenomenal number of old songs; his favorite was ""Brighten the Corner Where You Are."" And George did just that--brightening the lives of all those fortunate to hear him play his harmonica and guitar and sing his favorite old hymns. He was an active member of the Washington Evangelical United Methodist Church, where he taught Sunday School for thirty years. He was also a member of Taylor Lodge #98. He retired from Caterpillar Tractor Company in 1977 after thirty-six years of service, the final seven years as a supervisor in the Administration Building. A life-long St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan, he enjoyed going to spring training games in Jupiter, FL. He loved talking to people, and his quick wit and endless supply of interesting expressions made him a delightful conversationalist. He married Mildred Bosworth in 1935, and they celebrated seventy-one years of marriage before her death in 2006. They spent sixty-three years on Liberty Lane in rural Washington, where friends and family enjoyed the gardens, Mildred's cooking, and George's homemade cider. He was predeceased by his parents and all his siblings. He is survived by his daughter Nancy and husband Blaine of Townsend, DE, son Terry and his wife Ann of Washington, IL, five grandchildren, Mary Britt, Anne Wenger, Christopher Rose, Lindsay Chesney, and Jacob Rose, and seven great-grandchildren. Visitation Services to be held on Friday night 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm at Mason White Funeral Home, 20 Valley Forge Rd., Washington, IL. Memorial Service to be held at 11:00 am at the Evangelical United Methodist Church, 401 Walnut St., Washington, IL. In lieu of flowers the family asks for donation memorials to be made to Evangelical United Methodist Church, 401 Walnut St., Washington, IL.