Don Leroy Rose was born Nov. 5, 1934, in Raymond to Leslie R. Rose and Mary V. (Criss) Rose. He was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis and ended up in the hospital in June of 2022. He spent June of 2022 until Jan. 24, 2023, staying in Decatur, with granddaughter Heather and Rob Grandgenett. He passed away, Jan. 31, 2023, at Oakland Heights Nursing Home in Oakland, at the age of 88 years.
A Funeral Service was 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, at the Goslar Funeral Home Chapel, Onawa, Iowa, with Evangelist Dale Wolf, officiating. A live stream of the service will be posted on the Goslar Funeral Home website with Don’s obituary. A visitation will be an hour prior to the service at the Goslar Funeral Home Chapel. Per Don’s wishes, cremation will occur after the funeral service. Burial of his ashes will be 10 a.m. Thursday, June 22, 2023, at Hillcrest Cemetery, Decatur, Nebraska, with Military Honors provided by the Roger-Crum Post #215 of Decatur. Arrangements are under the direction of Goslar Funeral Home and Monuments, Onawa.
Don attended school at Homer Public School in Homer from grades first through third, Country School in Emerson, grades fourth through seventh, and South Sioux City Public School in South Sioux, grades eighth until graduation. He graduated at 17 years old with perfect attendance all four years of high school in May of 1952.
Don worked in accounting at Condon Motor Company in Sioux City, Iowa, for four years until he was drafted. Don was drafted into the United States Army in April of 1957 at Fort Chaffee, Ark. The Sergeant asked if anyone could type and Don raised his hand. Don made his own Army dog tags. He was then sent to Fort Hood, Texas, for sixteen weeks of basic training. While in the service Don earned a clerical procedure certificate and typewriting certificate in 1957. He received a certificate for field maintenance wheeled vehicles and earned superior student. He earned a diploma in electrical accounting and machine repair; he was rewarded p-2 pay. Don worked as a supply clerk and went to Germany with HQ Company, 2nd Armed Calvary, 1st Sgt. Guy V. King from Sioux City, Iowa. He ran the company for six months until Sgt. Harry V. Grant arrived as Supply Sgt. Don served as wheel vehicle mechanic, Armament Plt. Sgt., Wheel Trac Vehicle Inspector, Supply Sgt., IBM, and 1005 Univac Computer Repairman the 11 years he served. Don’s military service gave him the opportunities for foreign travel to Austria, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, England, and the Atlantic Ocean. Don was honorably discharged Aug. 9, 1968.
He continued his education after the military, receiving diplomas for Machinist and Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration from Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City.
Don was baptized Methodist on Dec. 17, 1939. He became a member of St. Johns Lutheran Church in Lyons on Jan. 13, 1997.
On Jan. 30, 1982, Don married Pauline (Jump) Storm-Maslonka-Rose, at Trinity Lutheran Church, Decatur, with Reverend Warner, officiating. Don and Pauline made their home in Dakota City. Pauline had seven children, Dalbert, Marilyn, Duane, Vicki, Howard, Douglas, and Curtis.
After the service, Don was an Office Manager/General Manager of a sign & advertising company for seven years. He worked fulltime at IBP (Tyson) for three years as a security guard while attending WITCC in Sioux City. Don worked at Mid-American Dairy Sioux City, for three years. He even worked for the United States Postal Service for a short time in South Sioux City. Don was employed as a Maintenance Mechanic Supervisor for ten years at Grandview Health (St. Luke’s) in Sioux City. He then became Property Manager for St. Luke’s Hospital in his last five years of employment before retirement in 1997.
He enjoyed the outdoors fishing, camping, and RVing. He had yearly fishing trips to Fort Randall Dam, South Dakota, with Pauline’s children. In 1997 upon his retirement, Don and Pauline moved from Dakota City to Lyons. Don took full advantage of the Lyons Library, as he was an avid reader of Westerns and Christian Fiction. He would have the library buy books for him that he wanted to read and after reading he would donate them to the library. The years spent in Lyons, turned out to be the most enjoyable part of his life.
Survivors include Pauline’s children, step-daughters, Marilyn (David) Johnson of Springfield, Mo., and Vicki Hankins of Pender; step-sons, Dalbert (Virginia) Storm of Bancroft, Howard’s wife, Regina Storm of Decatur, Duane (Ruby) Storm of Greeley, Colo., Douglas Storm of Lyons, and Curtis Storm of Blair; fifteen grandchildren; 37 great-grandchildren; and 3 great-great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Pauline V. Rose; parents, Leslie and Mary (Criss) Rose; brothers, Gerald, Leslie, and Kenneth; sister, Roberta Johnson; sisters-in-law, Genevieve Modlin, and Alice Campbell; brothers-in-law, Melvin “Dutch” Jump, Jr, Kenneth Jump, and Earl Dean Jump; step-son, Howard L. Storm; step-sons-in-law, Sam Davis, and Dennis Hankins; and great-grandson, Noah.
Condolences may be left online for the family at www.goslarfuneralhome.com
