One Year

It's hard to believe it's been a year.  I can remember the day vividly. I slept on the floor of the living room where Dad was sleeping.  Paul slept on the floor nearby. Robert fell asleep on the dining room floor and various other family members were scattered throughout the house.  When I woke up Mom and Aunt Dena were still keeping watch on either side of his bed.

Dad woke up sometime around nine or ten and enthusiastically said "Good morning!"  Those would be the last words he would ever utter.

It seemed like his breathing had improved.  It seemed like he had done it once again: overcome all expectations and defied death again. So I went about my day working out, making lunch, visiting with relatives.  Mom stayed close to Dad.

I was in the living room laughing with Paul and Mike about something nonsensical when Mom's panicked voice interrupted us.  She was concerned that Dad had stopped breathing.  I bolted to the kitchen to get Robert who came to check Dad's pulse.  "He's still with us," he said. "But he doesn't have much longer."

We all rushed to Dad's bedside telling him how much we love him, hugging and kissing him and dreading the moment that had now come.

At 1:04 p.m. I received a text.  Thinking of you and your family.

At the same moment Dad exhaled.  Mom knew immediately that it was his last breath. Robert confirmed it.  We hovered around his bedside crying together. A tear rolled down Dad's cheek.

I remember the rest of the day in snapshots of events.  Kissing Dad's face.  All of us sitting on the lawn hoping for a rainbow as they drove him away.  Hundreds of texts, emails, phone calls, Facebook messages.  People bringing food and flowers. My brothers taking turns sitting in Dad's Corvette. Crying.

At one point in the evening I went to the grocery store with Paul.  I don't remember what we were buying but I remember finding it odd that everyone in the world just kept on with their lives as if mine hadn't just changed forever. People buying groceries around us oblivious to what we had just experienced that day.  Unaware that these two strangers in the aisle next to them had just lost their daddy.

We returned home to see everyone in the living room surrounding boxes of photographs. We joined them. Looking at pictures of Dad. He was so handsome.

While we were reminiscing through the pictures April said that all of the children would be speaking at the funeral.  Then she turned to me and said, "You know you'll be singing right?"  I knew.

In the year that has followed, there hasn't been a day that I haven't thought about my sweet daddy.  When I see a sunset or a muscle car;  when I hear the National Anthem or catch myself saying "sounds like a personal problem" to one of my kids. Or when I call Mom and get Dad's voicemail message so I call back again and again.

He was there when I sang at his funeral. He was there when my daughter was born. He was there that day I found myself talking to him in my car. He was there when April and Rhett were sealed.  I know he's been with us all year and he'll continue to watch over us until we are together again.

I can still hear his voice.  I can still feel his hugs.  I can still see his smile.

And I still miss him so much.

Dad's Funeral

The photos in this video are from Dad's funeral, the graveside service and the luncheon afterward. All the pictures were taken by our dear friend, Sara Boulter. The audio was taken from an interview I had with Dad in November of 2010, just a few days after the doctors told us he only had weeks left. He was feeling very tired and weak and it was hard for him to speak which is why his voice is so soft. The music is a song called, "When I Die" that I wrote and recorded several years ago. It is one of the songs I sang at his funeral service.

The funeral was beautiful and such a tribute to an incredible husband, father, brother, uncle, grandfather, friend and soldier. I am so proud to be his daughter and a member of this amazing Rose family. When I receive a copy of the audio from the service I will post copies of the wonderful talks and tributes that were given.

I miss my sweet daddy every single day. But I do know that he is watching over us as a guardian angel and making preparations to be with us again one day. Thank you all for your messages, phone calls, emails, flowers, acts of service and kindness.

Earl "G" Rose II 1948-2011

Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for your words of comfort, strength and sympathy. We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and service we have been receiving. We can feel the prayers you are offering on our behalf.

Earl "G" Rose II returned to our Heavenly Father September 5, 2011. He was in the embrace of his family at the time of his passing.

Earl was born in Wichita, Kansas on June 3, 1948, the son of Earl "G" and Nadine Cotter Rose. He was the eldest of their 11 children.

He joined the Marine Corps in 1966. He served in the Vietnam War as a Marine Security Guard in the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, Vietnam. He was transferred to the Embassy in Manila, Philippines. In Manila he met Jesusa Maniquis Ramos. They were married November 23, 1969.

Earl brought his bride home to the United States where they were sealed for time and eternity in the Salt Lake Temple. They raised seven children together in Tooele.

He was devoted to Family, God and Country.

He is survived by his wife Jesusa; children April (Rhett Collins), Earl III (Tifiny), Karen (Paul McKinney), Robert (Elizabeth), Michael (Amy), Diana (Conway West) and Paul (Samantha); 33 grandchildren; and siblings Warren (Gina), Joy (Kim Lawrence), Tim (LaWaine), Pete (Bona), Ruth (Peter Swade), Belva (Dennis Coleman), Dena (Kevin Cline), Jay (Vivian) and Bryan. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Cris.

A viewing will be held Thursday, September 8, from 6-8 pm at Jenkins-Soffe Funeral Home, 1007 W South Jordan Parkway (10600 South), with funeral services on Friday, 11 am at the LDS chapel next to the Jordan River Temple (10200 South 1300 West), viewing one hour prior to services at the church. Interment: Veteran's Memorial Cemetery at Camp Williams.

Well done thou good and faithful servant

Earl "G" Rose II
June 3, 1948- Sept. 5, 2011

At 1:04 PM, our dear father, husband, brother and friend took his last breath.
He was surrounded by his children, his siblings, his grandchildren, friends and his sweet bride Jesusa.
We are making the plans for his memorial service and will post them to this site.
We are so grateful to all of you for your compassionate words.

We love you dad. It felt like heaven being together with you. We know that now the Spirit world is in celebration.

May God be with us all until we meet again.
Posted by Robert

In This Very Room

Mom came and woke me up at 4:30 this morning. She was concerned about Dad. His breathing has been very labored and his oxygen saturations are low. She said she might be crying wolf, but she wanted me to call all my brothers and sisters.

Everyone came today. Robert, Earl and Aunt Dena drove up from St. George and everyone else has been here since 5:00 this morning. Uncle Tim came with his family, and also Aunt Belva, Uncle Pete, Kuya Danny and Ate Letty. We were all here and we were all surrounding Dad all day.

We watched old family videos for about 12 hours straight and have been laughing and crying a lot.

Dad was able to focus on us for a few seconds at a time but other than that has been resting. As of right now, he is sleeping soundly. His oxygen levels are still low but his breathing seems to have improved a bit and Mom and Aunt Dena are staying by his bedside to keep an eye on him.

It has been a very long and emotional day but it has been so great to have everyone together. There is a lot of love in this little room.

"In this very room, there's quite enough love for all of us; and in this very room, there's quite enough joy for all of us; and there's quite enough hope and quite enough power to chase away any gloom. For Jesus, Lord Jesus is in this very room."

Together Forever

I've been watching a lot of old home movies. I've been spending the last couple of days converting the VHS tapes to DVD. This morning I came across footage I had never seen before. It was December 9, 1990. We were all at the airport early in the morning wearing heavy coats and solemn expressions. Dad was getting ready to deploy to Saudi Arabia for six months.

It was a somber occassion. We walked with Dad through the airport; April with her arm around Dad and I had my arm around Mom. We sat in the terminal together not saying much but just together. Then it came time for Dad to board the plane. He hugged my grandma whose husband had passed away earlier that year, then little Paul, who was about to turn eight, stood on a chair to give him a big bear hug. Next he lifted me to give me a hug and kiss. He embraced each of his children in turn, giving us kisses, offering last minute words of counsel and farewell and very occassionaly wiping a loose tear that would escape despite his best efforts to stay strong. Then it was Mom's turn. They embraced for several long minutes, kissing and hugging and not wanting to part. All of us children (except Earl who was on his mission) were there watching and not saying a word as Mom and Dad prolonged the departure as long as possible.

And then he got on the plane and we all watched out the window silently as the plane took off.

As I watched this video with tears streaming down my face, I couldn't help but see the correlation between then and now. We all unwillingly prepare to say farewell, giving him as many embraces and kisses as we can, telling him how much he is loved, all the while prolonging that moment of departure as aggressively as possible.

I think about how hard it was for us to say goodbye for those long months he spent overseas. Dad missed Christmas and Paul's baptism, a few birthdays and taking Earl to the airport bound for Guatemala.

I was only a young girl but I can remember when Dad came home. I can still remember all the yellow ribbons and American flags that Mom hung in the yard. I can remember the Christmas tree decorated in red, white and blue and how we celebrated Christmas in July that year.

I'm sure there's a video I've yet to find of us greeting Dad at the airport when he returned. I can imagine the jubilation and celebrating that would be heard as he walked out of the gate to the screams of delight of his family. I'm certain we would see many tears of joy and endless hugs and kisses, and hear lots of laughter and story telling. The joy of his return far outweighing the ache of his departure.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not ready to say goodbye to my daddy. I do not want to have to give him that final embrace and I will gladly put it off for as long as possible, BUT I do know that there will come a day--it might feel like eternities until then as his misses Christmases and birthdays--but the day will come when we will be reunited. When the joyous celebration of our reunion will far outweigh the heartache and pain of his departure.

I belong to an eternal family. Tied together forever by the sealing power of the priesthood of Jesus Christ. It is thanks to Him that we are given the gift of Eternal Life. It is by coming to know and have faith in Him that we can receive confirmation for ourselves that this is possible. I have received that confirmation and I know it to be true. And I know my Dad knows it. Families are forever and we will be together again.

By the way, after sleeping for about two days straight, he woke up this morning and told me he loved me. He lifted his arm to give me a hug and was strong enough to keep me pinned to his chest when I tried to pull away :) I asked him how he is doing and he whispered, "I'm not complaining." He is not yet ready to say goodbye either.

And Men Are, That They Might Have Joy

It's so nice having Earl here. His family just moved to St. George but he still works in SLC so he stays here from Monday through Thursday. He has been taking Dad for walks every evening as the sun goes down. Dad is able to get fresh air, enjoy the beautiful sunsets, the gorgeous Utah mountains and the South Jordan Temple that is lit up at night. And we enjoy walking and talking together as a family.Mom's sweet friends Teena and Emma brought her some Filipino food for lunch the other day. The lunch menu included squid, fish heads, salmon and some other things that Mom really enjoyed (I'll have to take her word for it.) Salamat ladies!

Thanks to modern technology I have been able to connect with my family in Hawaii over the internet. Marley had her first hula performance and gave her first talk in primary and Cohen is now talking in sentences and jumping into the pool backwards. I am eternally grateful to my sister-in-law Alisha who flew to Hawaii to care for my children. I just know great blessings must be in store for her for her selfless service.

Dad's sweet nurses Mary Kay and Amy from the Huntsman Cancer Institute came to visit Dad yesterday. He stayed awake all day because he knew they were coming and didn't want to be asleep during their visit. He is no longer their patient yet they care about him so much they still want to check on him and tell him that they love him. We are so appreciative of such wonderful and compassionate people!

Dad is still resting most of the time. When he's awake I always ask him if he is happy. His answer is, "you bet!" He is happy. And so are we.

And after all, that's what really matters, right?

2 Ne 2:25 - "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."