Muriel Freudenberg Rose

Muriel was born in Los Angeles California. Her parents were Edward and Hazel Freudenberg. She had an older sister Harriet and a younger brother Edward. All are now deceased. She grew up in Eagle Rock, a subdivision of Los Angeles, and graduated from Eagle Rock High School in 1938. Muriel decided to go into Nursing, spent two years in the pre-nursing program at Los Angeles City College, and completed her nurses training at the Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, California.

After WW II broke out Muriel became a Navy Nurse. In 1944 while stationed at the Naval Hospital in San Diego, she was housed on land belonging to the San Diego Zoo. One frightening night a panther got loose but the Marines managed to capture it. In 1945 she was transferred to the Naval Hospital in Bremerton Washington, on the Puget Sound, where she met her future husband, Nick, a Radar Officer in the Navy. After being separated from the service, they married on October 25, 1946 in Mt. Vernon, New York. Their marriage was delayed two weeks because Muriel got a case of Hepatitis from one of her patients from the South Pacific.

Muriel and Nick had four children. Toni Catherine, Louis Chiarito, Margaret Louise (Peggy) and John Edward. The children and their spouses squired 5 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. Family visits were always treasured moments.

In 1946 Nick began teaching mathematics at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. They lived in faculty housing on campus until 1959 when they moved to Fort Lee, New Jersey. Muriel worked as a nurse in Englewood Hospital in New Jersey and the Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York. In 1968 the family moved to Raleigh when Nick accepted a position as Head of the Mathematics Department at North Carolina State University. In 1974 Muriel and Nick designed and built a house on Candlewood Drive where they remained until moving to the Springmoor Retirement Community in 1995.

Around 1975 Muriel started taking a few courses at NC State. Both the faculty and the college age students welcomed her and she had a glorious time. In 1980 she acquired enough credits to receive her B.A in English.

Muriel loved to read, play bridge, do crosswords, write, watch Jeopardy, and travel.

Unfortunately her diabetes and arthritis caused her to curtail travel and eventually required a move to Springmoor.

In 2010, on the occasion of her 90th birthday, Muriel’s family held a large party in the Great Room of Springmoor. Relatives and friends came from all over: Hawaii, California, Texas, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, Minnesota, Virginia and Georgia. A great party for a great lady.

Muriel is survived by her husband, Nick, all of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren except for her oldest daughter, Toni, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2018.

A “Celebration of Life” will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Springmoor Endowment, 1500 Saw Mill Road, Raleigh, NC, 27615.

Arrangements by Brown-Wynne, 300 Saint Mary's Street, Raleigh.