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Donald “Don” Rose
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Donald “Don” Rose
To plant a tree in memory of Donald Rose as a living tribute, please visit Tribute Store.
Donald “Don” Alfred Rose, 90, formerly of Hood River and La Grande, Ore., went to be with the Lord on Aug. 15, 2023. He was born in Stratton, Colo., on July 28, 1933, to Claus and Gladys “Goldie” (Keely) Rose. His childhood years were spent living in the San Luis Valley and Steamboat Springs, Colo., and eventually his family moved to Palisade, Colo., where he graduated from high school in 1951.
While attending Colorado State University he met the love of his life, Mary Ann Troeger. Don was smitten with Mary and really wanted to impress her on their first date. He borrowed his friend’s car and intended to take Mary out to dinner and a movie, but soon realized he didn’t have enough money to pay for their meal, so Mary helped pay with her “mad money.” That didn’t deter her in the least as she was equally smitten and eventually, they were married on Sept. 16, 1956. They had an enviable honeymoon driving all the way from Denver to San Antonio, Texas, eating only BLTs the whole way because it was the least expensive item on the menu. While in San Antonio, he completed his Army training to be a medic and then was stationed in Germany for four years.
After returning to the states, he attended medical school at Denver University and then moved his young family to Portland, Ore., to complete his internship and residency. One of the big draws that lured him (no pun intended) to the Pacific Northwest were the “Three S’s" — Salmon, Sturgeon, and Steelhead. He absolutely LOVED fishing but had overfished the Colorado waters and decided to move to where there were new fishing “prospects.”
They then moved to La Grande, Ore., where he was a general practitioner and he and Mary raised their kids for 27 years. Then after they both retired, they moved to Hood River, Ore., where they enjoyed many things in the area: The community, their church family, their neighbors, the fresh fruit, the views, and all of the activities that the town offered.
Don and Mary then moved to Spokane, Wash., to be closer to family. Sadly, he lost his love Mary in 2022 before their 66th wedding anniversary. Despite him missing her greatly, he began to thrive during the last year of his life due to the wonderful love and support of his family.
Dad’s faith in Jesus Christ was the foundation of his life and he would share that faith with everyone he could. His faith gave him the hope to know where he would be going the moment he took his last breath. That moment occurred on Mary’s birthday, Aug. 15, 2023. He was able to be with her in heaven on her birthday, so she never had to spend a birthday without him.
Don is survived by four children: Leisa Baker from Spokane, Coleen Janzen (Phil) of Spokane, Shelly Stucky (Bob) from Fruita, Colo., and Mark Rose of Fruita; 10 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren; and one sister, Bonnie Ball of Palisade.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary, his parents, and his brother, Bob.
A memorial service will be held at Touchmark on South Hill, 2929 S. Waterford Drive, Spokane, on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 10 a.m. in The Forum room. No flowers, please.
To plant a tree in memory of Donald Rose as a living tribute, please visit Tribute Store.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
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Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.