Stanley Edward Rose

~~~

Stanley Edward Rose Service

November 8, 2020—Phoenix Memorial Park & Mortuary

There is a story about a young child who heard that the neighbor next door had just passed away. This child’s family, not thinking that the little boy understood the meaning of those words, were confused when he insisted on going over there to see the family member who was now there all alone.

He was gone for what seemed like a very long time, but eventually he returned with a smile upon his face. When his family asked him, what was he doing there so long he simply stated… “First, I helped him cry and then I helped him smile.” His parents were confused, “You helped him cry?” they asked. “How did you do that?”

“I just hugged him,” he said. “How did you help him smile?” they asked. He simply answered, “I just listened as he told me about some of the places they had gone and talked about the things they had seen together and that made us smile.” Ah…the wisdom of a child.

No one had taught him how to care, no one told him what someone needs when they have lost a loved one from their lives, and no one stopped him from doing what he instinctively felt in his heart that was right. I guess the moral here is “First you cry.”

But we must not miss the second part of this little boy’s heartfelt lesson about grieving. Remember he said, they then shared memories of better times, ending with “and that made us smile.” This is what today is all about.

Good afternoon, and welcome everyone, my name is Becky Hinton, and I am humbled and privileged to be the Funeral Celebrant today, as we gather to honor a man who has been such a large part of all your lives; Stanley Edward Rose.

The common denominator everyone shares today is Stan. If you had not been touched by this man’s life, in some way, big or small, you would not be here. This thread, which connects us all, may seem fragile, but I assure you it’s not. This bond, shared between him and you, may be one of blood as family, or mutual respect, sharing of similar interests, a willingness to help or your never-ending love. You have all played an important role in his life and for many of you who have known him throughout the years, this man has played a significant role in your lives as well.

Stan’s death has left a hole in the hearts of his incredible family; he leaves behind his son, Steve and his wife, Sandie and their children Christine, Amy and her husband, Craig and James and his wife Amy; daughter, Jeannie and her husband Orrin and their children Andi and her husband, Brian, Gabe and his wife, Jennie and eight great-grandchildren.

We will open this time of celebration and remembrance, with a prayer.

Heavenly Father, we come today in disbelief, that this wonderful man is no longer a part of our lives. Stan Rose filled such a vibrant part of Your world, and we are at a loss to see how we can fill that void. Be with each person here today as they seek comfort in memories, in hope and in faith, that he is in Your loving arms and eternal spirit. Hold their hands and dry their tears in Your own good time. We ask for Your blessing, Your calming spirit and Your promise of peace for this family. We thank You for the life of Stan, and we stand in awe at the impact he made during his 97 years. Thank You for this time, for this man and for Your love. Amen.

The Parable Of The Two Ships – (Paraphrased)

In a sea-blue harbor, two ships sailed. One was setting off on a voyage; the other was coming home to port. Everyone cheered at the ship going out, but the ship sailing in was hardly noticed. To this, a wise man said, “Do not rejoice over a ship setting out to sea, for you cannot know what terrible storm it may endure. Rejoice over the ship that has safely reached its port and brings its passengers home in peace. And this is the way of the world. When a child is born, we all rejoice; when someone dies, we grieve in sadness. Perhaps we all should do the opposite. For none of us can tell what trials and tribulations await the newborn child. So, when a love one dies and finds peace, we should rejoice, for Stan has completed a meaningful and worthwhile journey, and is now reunited in spirit with those gone before him.

As we pause to listen to a song, please try to think of a memory of Stan, you might like to share with everyone, later in the service.

Song— “In the Mood”

Stanley Edward Rose was born on August 22, 1923. He grew up just outside Fort Wayne, Indiana in a small town called Garrett, Indiana. He had an older brother, Royce and younger brother, Ted. In an effort to keep the boys in line, if one got in trouble, they all got spanked!

Following his graduation from high school in 1941, Stan enlisted in the United States Navy. He served on a Destroyer Escort in both the Atlantic and the Pacific.

Stan shared an incredible story about the ship losing all power. They were essentially “dead” in Japanese waters. It was discovered that the issue was due to a broken camshaft. Amazingly, Stan was able to fashion a replacement from items on board, and because of his efforts, the ship as well as the entire crew was saved!

He met a beautiful woman named, Marge at a dance in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Marge and her friends travelled from Ohio to the big city to meet men. The couple enjoyed listening and dancing to Big Band Music and were married while Stan was still in the military.

After returning stateside, Stan was honorably discharged from the Navy. He took advantage of the GI Bill and furthered his education at Purdue University. While working on his studies, he and Marge were thrilled to welcome a baby girl they named, Jeannie into their home.

It was an extremely busy time, yet Stan was able to earn a Bachelor’s as well as Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering in only three years!

When little Jeannie was two years-old, the couple completed their family with the addition of a baby boy they named, Steve.

Stan took a Mechanical Engineering position with General Electric. He made friends with his coworkers, and while the children were young, Stan and Marge enjoyed spending Saturday nights out with folks from GE. They took pleasure in playing bridge together and continued dancing. Some of Stan’s favorite artists were Glen Miller, Benny Goodman and the Andrew’s sisters.

The nature of Stan’s work necessitated numerous relocations. At approximately five-year intervals, they packed up and set off for his next challenge. Marge was happy to see different parts of the country, and she especially enjoyed moving to new homes along the way.

The Mechanical Engineering arena covers a vast array of specialties. Stan was considered a genius in the field, and he spent time working in a variety of positions (including, but not limited to) development, quality and design.

After leaving GE in 1969, Stan was a part of a “start-up” company tasked with creating a specialized printer. Later, he took on the role of a consultant in Phoenix, Arizona-assisting major companies such as Motorola and Siemens as well as smaller accounts. He continued as a consultant into his 80’s, and amassed an impressive list of 21 patents during his career.

Jeannie and Steve had a typical childhood, where Mom took care of the house and family, and Dad went off to work and was the disciplinarian. Having grown up with corporal punishment, Stan realized it wasn’t the best idea form of teaching or punishment, so he chose not to spank his children and try to correct their behavior in a better way.

As soon as breakfast was finished, the kids were sent outdoors to play. They checked back in for lunch and then spent the rest of the afternoon playing with friends in the neighborhood.

The Rose family had a 13-foot travel-trailer which they used to explored the country. They visited various National Parks (including Yosemite) and were fortunate to attend the 1967 World’s Fair in Seattle, Washington.

Steve looked up to his father and appreciated his ability to fix problems and make things. It seemed as if there wasn’t a puzzle he couldn’t solve. Stan was a willing teacher, but (like most kids) Steve was busy with his friends and other interests, so he didn’t take advantage of the wealth of information in front of him.

Stan taught himself how to play the clarinet and the soprano saxophone, and Marge was a pianist; they invited a friend (and fellow musician) to perform music with them, once or twice a week for a few years. He took great joy in playing duets with his son, Steve as well. Dad on clarinet and son on trumpet—the two spent a decade making music together, and one of their favorites was a tune called, “Never on Sunday”.

Stan wasn’t a big fan of television, but there were a few shows he enjoyed, such as “The Ed Sullivan Show”, “Jackie Gleason” and “Rawhide”.

Jeannie was “Daddy’s Little Girl”. She is a phenomenal artist, and he was exceptionally proud of her imagination and talent. He was overjoyed at her accomplishments, and exceedingly proud of each of her unique and lovely creations.

Stan was always comfortable with technology. He looked at technical magazines and read tech manuals for enjoyment. He bought his first home computer in the early 1970’s, and routinely upgraded to newer, more advanced models, as soon as they were available.

He always enjoyed gadgets, including cell phones and drones.

“To the engineer, all matter in the universe can be placed into one of two categories: (1) things that need to be fixed, and (2) things that will need to be fixed after you've had a few minutes to play with them. Engineers like to solve problems. If there are no problems handily available, they will create their own problems. Normal people don't understand this concept; they believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Engineers believe that if it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features yet. No engineer looks at a television remote control without wondering what it would take to turn it into a stun gun. No engineer can take a shower without wondering if some sort of Teflon coating would make showering unnecessary. To the engineer, the world is a toy box full of sub-optimized and feature-poor toys.”

Stan was self-taught in the area of Auto CAD, which has a reputation for a notoriously high learning curve within computer-aided drafting forums. New users report being overwhelmed with the number of buttons, tools, and general features that are presented to them all at once.

The main reason users say that AutoCAD is hard to learn is because its user interface is complex and seemingly not arranged in an order that’s intuitive to those who haven’t used it before.

He always needed to have a hand in something, and he became a partner in a motorcycle shop (selling dirt bikes) for three or four years.

He and Marge rode bicycles together, and like all his other toys and gadgets, he insisted on the “top of the line” models. Stan thoroughly enjoyed taking long (100 mile) rides throughout Arizona. On one occasion he pedaled from Wickenburg to Prescott, and another ride began in Phoenix and finished in Tucson. Marge followed with the car on those long treks, and hauled him back home at the end. Stan happily rode 25 miles per day until he was around 80 years old.

He took some spills over the years, resulting in a broken collar bone and a hip replacement. After one too many falls, Marge said, “No more”, and she sold his bike!

Stan took his plethora of knowledge and authored three books featuring bicycling and trails around Arizona. Each edition contained more detail than its predecessor. The books were well-received and sold out each Christmas!

He learned the value of hard work at a very young age. Stan discovered the joy of photography at just eight years old. Back in his hometown, he was hired at a Photography studio, where he began as an assistant and then an apprentice photographer. At the age of ten, he hitchhiked to Fort Wayne, Indiana to sell magazines as well. He utilized his skills as the Ship’s Photographer in the Navy, and he took photos at weddings and other events. It brought him great joy and he was able to continue it throughout his entire life.

“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.” ~Aaron Siskind

After Jeannie and Steve were grown and living on their own, Stan and Marge were blessed to be able to travel to some fascinating locations. They travelled extensively in Europe and took a number of cruises-visiting places such as Alaska, Hawaii, Jamaica and the Caribbean. They always had fun participating in the various events and games onboard.

Stan was a very talented engineer. He showed great commitment and perseverance as a problem-solver; finding solutions for a variety of issues others were unable to do. He had gumption and was able to focus on long term results, as some projects took a year to complete. He taught an Advanced Mechanical Engineering course at Arizona State University.

Back in his General Electric days, he routinely gave presentations at various seminars, so it seemed only natural that the University approached him to pass along his knowledge to another generation of students.

Stan was a “people person”, knowledgeable in a number of areas and able to talk to seemingly anyone. His presence lit up the room; he was charismatic, naturally funny, and quite the charmer! He loved flirting with waitresses, much to the irritation of his wife! Even so, he was a faithful husband and father, who never strayed.

Many years ago, Stan went through treatments for kidney cancer. His Navy ship sailed into Japan shortly after the bombing; he briefly went up on deck, and received radiation, that was believed to have caused his illness. Despite only one kidney operating at 35% (for the past 15 years) he was unstoppable.

After more than 60 years with the love of his life, Marge was diagnosed with lung cancer. Stan was a devoted caregiver for the entirety of her six-month battle. Sadly, Marge passed away, and Stan had been without her for the last 14 years. He credited his son, Steve and daughter-in-law, Sandie with helping him make it through that unbelievably painful time, and said, “Without them, I would have cracked up”.

Steve included his Dad on family vacations, took him to his appointments and Dr. visits, grocery shopping, out to eat and introduced him to “Kilt Lifter” beer! He loved to sit and chat with a beer or sometimes a glass of wine with cheese and crackers. He spent many a Sunday drinking beer or tossing back a glass of wine with cheese and crackers with Steve and Sandie; as dinner time approached, they sometimes opted to order a pizza, rather than end their conversation.

Stan especially enjoyed eating the pepperoni pie from Red Devil Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria. He also loved a good steak (usually from a restaurant) as he was not gifted in the kitchen. I’m told he once placed steak and water on a pan and then cooked it in the microwave!

The list of activities he participated in was extensive. He was never one to sit around or watch sports. He was interested in doing not “watching”. He relished the outdoors, and time spent hiking. He and Steve hiked the Grand Canyon, Rainbow Bridge and the Lake Powell area together. He found pleasure in hunting Javelina, Deer and Elk. He bought another bike and joined a group of friends in biking, archery and golfing together every week. Stan took a scuba diving class and became a certified diver.

His long-time friend, John Baird built his own plane, and Stan had a blast flying around with his buddy. The two men had some crazy adventures in the sky, which undoubtedly added to the list of near-death experiences Stan accumulated.

It’s said that people naturally downplay or forget the dangerous situations they find themselves in, so the fact that Stan admitted to Steve, “I’ve been close to death 12 times, ought to make us take notice!

In honor of Stan’s 90th birthday, his family threw him a huge celebration. They hired a D.J., ordered a beautiful cake, ate a delicious catered meal and watched with great joy as he danced with his girlfriend.

Stan was in good health for all but the tiniest snippet of his life. He had a very steep decline over the last little bit, but was blessed to have family with him during his final three or four days. His room was full of joy and laughter-some recounted stories of praise, while others simply roasted him.

In honor of Stan’s love of music and the years of fun he had playing duets with his son, we will pause and listen to a rendition of that treasured piece, “Never on Sunday.”

Song— “Never on Sunday”

It was my privilege to begin this conversation…but only those who truly knew this extraordinary man can tell the real story… To speak of someone is to pay respect, and it is said that we do not remember days but we remember moments…please share those moments with us now…tell us what has brought you so much joy…You don’t have to have anything prepared- just speak from your heart.

Stan’s granddaughter, Christine is joining us via Face Time, and I would like to invite Craig to come up, and hold his phone to the microphone, so we can all hear her.

At this time, I would like to invite Stan’s daughter, Jeannie to come up and share.

Now, I would like to invite Stan’s son, Steve to come forward and speak.

Who would like to be next to share a memory? It can be very difficult to get up and speak in a situation like this, so I encourage you to visit Phoenix Memorial Park and Mortuary website, where you can leave a condolence message or a memory. Those sentiments will all be printed in a book (along with the photos you’ve seen on the screen) as a keepsake for Stan’s family.

As our gathering comes to an end, and you prepare to leave, may you take the memory of Stan with you, tuck it in a special place in your heart, and never let him be forgotten. May you honor his life, by looking for adventure, spending time outdoors, finding joy in each day, making time for family and friends, and loving with all your heart, (for the remainder of your life) just as Stan did!

We will listen to one more song and then close with a prayer.

Song— “Amazing Grace”

Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, we thank you that you have made each of us in your own image, and given us gifts and talents with which to serve you. We thank you for Stan, the years we shared with him, the good we saw in him, and the love we received from him. Now give us strength and courage to leave him in your care, confident in your promise of eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.