Evelyn Ruth Rose

Evelyn Ruth Head was born August 15, 1911 in Pleasant Prairie Township, Martin County, rural Granada, MN, the daughter of Ralph and Florence (Swanson) Head. She graduated from Fairmont High and taught elementary school. On November 29, 1930, Evelyn married Fredrick Edward Rose. They made their home in Fairmont. After the death of her mother in 1936 Evelyn and Fred became foster parents for her youngest sister, Genevieve. In 1948, Genevieve married Howard Keith Rosenwinkel and Evelyn and Fred were grandparents to their eleven children. In the 1950's and 60's Fred's job with Fairmont Railway Motors required a move to St. Louis, MO and then to Redwood City, CA. In 1964, Fred suffered a stroke and they returned to Fairmont. Evelyn dedicated her life to caring for Fred until his death in 1994. Evelyn had many talents and interests. She was a master tailor and seamstress and crafted custom draperies for Wallace's Department Store in Fairmont. She was a passionate gardener and loved planting and tending to her flower beds and fruit trees. She made mosaic art pieces for family and friends and also started a family tradition of making Christmas stockings that had hand sewn appliquéing and beading. The tradition continued for over fifty-five years, with Evelyn making stockings for successive generations of children. She loved to go antiquing. She was an avid and knowledgeable collector of antique glassware and had a beautiful collection of depression glass. She enjoyed researching both her and Fred's genealogy and compiled two volumes of family history complete with photographs. Evelyn loved to travel and with husband Fred traveled throughout the United States. She documented their trips with 35 mm slides that are still enjoyed today. Being an adventurous spirit, she loved the excitement of experiencing new places and sights. On her honeymoon in Niagara Falls, Evelyn rode across the falls in a basket suspended from a wire. In her eighties, Evelyn continued to drive cross-country; she cruised the Alaskan coast to whale watch, and on another trip, toured Spain. In her nineties, she traveled by train on a six-week trip through the Northwest, Western, Southwestern and Midwest states and stopped along the way to visit family and friends. Evelyn was active in the United Methodist Church and Circle of Friends. The fellowship she enjoyed enriched her spiritual and social life and gave her great comfort until the end. Evelyn was preceded in death by her parents; husband; brother, Carl; sisters, Esther, Irene, Gladys, sister/foster daughter, Genevieve; and great-grandson, Keith. Evelyn was loved and will be fondly remembered by surviving family members and her many friends. Memorials are preferred to United Methodist Church Education Program in Fairmont, MN or the Fairmont Medical Center-Mayo Health System Cancer Research Center.