Mabel Rose

Mabel Elizabeth Rose, 94, of Hawthorne, NV and Mesa, AZ, died at Mount Grant Hospital on May 28, 2009. Mabel was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa on October 21, 1914 to John and Lily (Schulz) Leiss. She had been a resident of Hawthorne since 1942, moving there from Iowa. She was a longtime member of the Community Presbyterian Church in Hawthorne. Mabel E. Leiss and Claude J. Rose were married in 1942 in Iowa and moved to Hawthorne. They had five children and in 1956, Claude passed away. After her husband's death, Mabel finished building the family home, which, at the time was just floor and frame. She single handedly supported her five children by taking in sewing and ironing in the community. Throughout her life she enjoyed crafts, sewing, and gardening. Mabel loved her family, friends, and her church. One of her greatest pleasures was traveling. She drove all over the United States, from north to south and coast to coast, and when family and friends couldn't go with her, she'd go by herself, just to see what was out there. She continued to travel by herself well into her eighties. Mable also believed in education, no matter what her age. She graduated from eighth grade in Fort Dodge in 1928 and graduated from high school in Hawthorne, Nevada in 1955. However, her formal education didn't stop there and in 2000 she earned her Associate's degree from Western Nevada College and became a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Society. Mabel was preceded in death by her parents; husband Claude; brothers Arlo and Robert Leiss; sisters Frances Schneider and Florence Espinosa; grandsons Virgil and John Rose and her sister-in-law Jackie Coffman. She is survived by sons Perry Rose of Hawthorne, NV and John Rose (Judy) of Anamosa; daughters Mary Mortenson (Francis) of Mesa, AZ, Ann Rink (Dan) of Owatonna, MN and Sara Merrill (John) of Maravian Falls, NC; brother Norris Leiss, of Fort Dodge; sisters-in-law Donna Leiss and Charlotte Leiss both of Fort Dodge and Margaret Conroy of Jefferson: 17 grandchildren, 34 great grandchildren, 4 great- great grandchildren; nieces, nephews, and cousins. Memorial services were held in Hawthorne and Mesa for Mabel. Graveside services will be July 24th at 1:00 p.m. at Memorial Park Cemetery in Fort Dodge. Her family will greet at a time of lunch following the burial.