John Leonard Rose

A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, July 29, 2023, at 2:30 p.m. at Sherwood Forest Free Will Baptist Church at 2601 Neuse Boulevard in New Bern. The family will receive friends immediately following the memorial service. Per the deceased’s wishes, his family will later sprinkle his cremains onto his parents’ graves at Whortonsville Cemetery.

John Rose was a kind soul, never in too much of a hurry, always willing to “sit a spell” and chat with his friends and neighbors. His needs were small, a child forged in the hardships of the Great Depression. The ninth of nine children of Furney Becton Rose and Nancy Austin Rose, John was born October 27, 1936 in New Bern, N.C. He was educated at St. Paul’s Catholic School and was a 1956 graduate of New Bern High School. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1956 through 1959, was stationed in Iceland and Florida, and received training as an Aircraft Radio Repairman. This training came in handy after his discharge, as John for years repaired radios and small appliances from the backyard shed he called his “shop.”

He also worked as a tree cutter, electrical lineman, cable installer, and house painter. Much of this was in the employ of Ernest Bass, and later, his son, William Ernest Bass. When the elder Bass passed away four decades ago, John promised to care for the Bass family—and never wavered on the pledge, becoming the benefactor and extended family member lovingly called “Papa John.”

Many in New Bern knew John Rose as the “lawn-mowing man” of Oaks Road. From his youth through his last years, he continued to keep his acre-plus-sized yard freshly trimmed, toiling on the same sputtering mower he had used for a lifetime. Once his declining health slowed his pace, neighbors pitched in to help with his yard. Like many New Bernians, John suffered greatly during September 2018’s Hurricane Florence, his home being destroyed in the storm. Through community generosity and coordination, a new house was built on the same site for John, where he spent his final years. He was happiest when “solving the world’s problems” with his breakfast buddies at Bojangles or when relaxing with his extended family, the Basses.

John was preceded in death by his parents and his eight siblings, Furney Becton Rose, Jr., Cecilia Alberta Rose Aldridge, Durwood Gray Rose, Darrell Vincent Rose, Richard Barrett Rose, Patrick Gallagher Rose, Hershel Lennon Rose, and Agatha (Aggie) Marie Rose Eury. He is survived by one sister-in-law, Carol Parker Rose (Hershel) of Berlin, Md., and nephews and nieces Michael Eury (Rose) of New Bern; John S. Eury, of Concord, N.C.; Dawn L. Rose Epperson of Baltimore, Md.; Dana Rose Zarnich (Nicholas) of Rochester, Pa.; and Robert Rose (Stephanie) of Washington, N.C. John Rose’s family was not limited to his blood kin. He is also survived by his extended family, the Basses, including Ann Marie Bass, Lorraine White, and Jacob White. He was embraced by his church family at Sherwood Forest Free Will Baptist, led by Senior Pastor Jeff Davis, as well as attentive and caring neighbors, including but not limited to Buster and Carol Radford, Rachel (deceased) and Jerry Wimer, Jerry “Pap” Whitfield, Sharon Highsmith, John Haines, Jason Dickson, and the “lawn-mowing angel.”

Mr. Rose’s family wishes to thank the staffs at CarolinaEast Medical Center, PruittHealth Hospice, and PruittHealth-Neuse of New Bern for their passionate care of John.

Cotten Funeral Home of New Bern is assisting the Rose family.