Eloise Burgess Rose

Eloise Burgess Rose, was born on April 4, 1916 in Mantorville, MN and went to be with the Lord on October 11, 2015.  She was preceded in death by her husband of 74 years, Clarence L. Rose, and by their son Rodger. Eloise is survived by their children, Sharon, Bob (Cathy), Mary, and Ray (Danya), 16 grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren, 5 great great grandchildren. She is also survived her brother Richard (Margaret) in MN.

Eloise was the third of five children born to Robert and Kathryn Burgess of Mantorville, MN.  Upon graduation from high school she went away to Calvary Bible College in California where she met and married Clarence Rose from Illinois on August 6, 1937. After graduation, she and her husband were transferred to Oklahoma by his job at Lockheed. In the 1940’s they felt God’s call to the mission field, moved to Puerto Rico and began their service to churches by printing Sunday School materials in Spanish.

In 1960, Clarence and Eloise moved to Clearwater, and opened Seminole Press as a commercial printing establishment. They also began producing a line of Florida Christmas cards which they continued to produce and market while in retirement. Eloise continued as the primary support for her husband while raising their children in Florida as well as being receptionist, typesetter, proof reader and multiple other jobs in the printing business.

They moved to the Brooksville area in the ‘70s and attended what is now Grace World Outreach Church. Eloise served as Sunday School teacher and wrote the monthly missions newsletter for several years, staying in contact by letter and by computer with missionaries around the world. In addition, they loved to travel. Clarence and Eloise visited missionaries in Nepal, serving as house parents to a group of school boys for the summer while the missionaries were in the U.S.  They visited a Bible School in the Philippines, missionaries in Peru and Korea and took a trip to Israel.  They visited their grown children in far flung places across the US. Children and grandchildren were a large part of their lives.

Throughout her life Eloise loved to paint, producing several large oil paintings. She loved to write and produced a book of her poetry. She also loved to cook and to entertain, providing lodging whenever missionaries came to visit the church. She baked her own bread for years and taught the skill to several others. She always had a large garden and several citrus trees. Her ability to grow orchids was legendary and her gardenias grew so well they filled the night air with perfume when they were in bloom. Eloise knitted or crocheted afghans and sweaters, and could sew a dress or blouse or shirt without any trouble at all. She was not afraid to try something new and learn to do it well.

She continuously shared her love for the Lord with those she met and especially with their family and friends.  Eloise and her late husband, Clarence, our Mom and Dad, will be greatly missed. Their wisdom from years of life experience and understanding of God’s ways of leading will be greatly missed. Their quiet ways of communicating God’s love to those around them has been a positive example to all who knew them.

Services will be held on Thursday, October 22, 2015 at Grace World Outreach Church in Brooksville, FL.  There will be a Visitation at 10:00AM and the Funeral Service will follow at 11:00AM.  She will be buried with her husband at Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park in Clearwater, FL following a graveside service at 3:00PM.