I'm grateful to share some of my thoughts about my amazing Grandpa. He was the patriarch of the Rosen family. He lived a long and full life. He blessed many by his Christlike example. My cousin Jeff took this picture of him in the Summer of 2013. It is one of our favorite pictures of him.
Harold Earl Rosen was born to Frank A. and Irene Horsley Rosen on March 31, 1929, in Legrande, Oregon. His mother's side of the family was English and his Dad's was Swiss German. Grandma liked to tease him that was why he was "hot tempered, stubborn, and hard working"!
He had a happy childhood. This picture was taken of him when he was three years old.
At the age of six he learned how to ski. A kind neighbor gave him the ski's.
This picture of Grandpa dressed up as a cowboy was taken when he was seven years old. During the depression years of the 1930's his family sought employment in Montana, Idaho, Nevada, and Washington. His father worked on water reclamation projects, and due to this he had a better than average upbringing for the depression years. His upbringing attributed to his "waste not" attitude. Once I found him taking the peanut butter jar out of the trash. He opened it up and preceded to get out every possible scrape. He also was known for saving and reusing tinfoil.
Grandpa was 12 years old when this picture was taken of him. He has shared stories with me about what it was like to live by Grand Coulee dam. He reminisced about the adventures he had at that age. His favorite pastime was to sleep in the woods with his dog and shotgun.
Grandpa earned his Eagle Scout Award at the age of 14 years old. He worked in the summers as an engineer aide at Grand Coulee Dam.
Grandpa worked hard in school and always did his best. This picture is what he looked like in high school. He was valedictorian of his graduating class. He graduated from Mason City High School in Washington.
My grandpa had a beautiful mind. He enjoyed learning and attended Brigham Young University in 1947. He has shared with me some of his memories of singing in a quartet during that time. He later felt inspired to take a break from school and leave on a mission to Argentina. It would be his first mission of five. He learned the language quickly and loved the people he served there. His mission led to him studying humanities when he went back to BYU.
He met my grandma Marlene Bee Allen while attending school there. They got married in the Salt Lake Temple on June 5, 1953. They spent the next 62 years together until her passing in 2015.
Grandpa graduated with his degree in Spanish language and literature. He enlisted in the United States Air Force and was trained as a Russian linguist for AF Security Service, working for three years in Alaska. He had a gift for learning languages and spoke Spanish, French, German, and Russian. Grandpa remembers Alaska as a fitting place to fight the "Cold War." When the Russians shot down a Navy plane over St. Lawrence Island, he was called to translate from Russian the communications that were released.
They had their first child Hal while they were living in Monterey California in 1954. He was named after Grandpa.
They had five children over the next several years, Hal, David, Mark, Sylvia, and Phillip.
Grandpa was a devoted father. He taught his children to work hard and be faithful.
I'm grateful for how much he loved my mother and that he raised her in the gospel.
Grandpa went on to complete his PhD in romance languages. He was invited to join the faculty of BYU in 1963. He taught for 35 years in the department of Spanish and Portuguese.
Grandpa directed six study abroad programs in Madrid, Spain. The first was in 1970. My mother was in fifth grade at the time.
They had this picture taken in their backyard on October 1, 1972. My grandma was a gifted seamstress and also taught at BYU for many years in the Clothing and Textiles department. She would make suits for my Grandpa and uncles.
Their family went on another study abroad to Spain in 1978.
My parents were married in December of 1979 in the Provo Temple. My grandparents and Mom were able to walk to the temple that morning since they lived only a few houses away.
This picture was taken of the Rosen family in September of 1980. Grandpa and Grandma had two grandkids at the time, Matt and Jeff.
I was born on October 11, 1980. I am the third grandchild and the first granddaughter. Grandpa was a loving grandfather to all 21 of his grandchildren. I have personally learned a lifetime of lessons from his righteous example. I was blessed to live with him and Grandma twice over the years.
We took a trip with my grandparents to Spokane, Washington in the Summer of 1984. We also went and stayed at the Rosen family cabin at Lake Coeur d'alene.
I was five years old when this picture was taken of us. I don't remember why I was pouting. I do remember Grandpa holding me on his lap and talking me through this hard time. He always knew just what to say to cheer me up.
We enjoyed visiting my grandparents at their home in Provo. I have happy memories of playing there as a child. My earliest memory is of my grandpa sitting at his cutting block table in the kitchen. He was listening to his old black radio blast the BYU game. I can still recall the musty smell of Grandpa's old orange shed like it was yesterday. I enjoyed wheelbarrow rides around the yard, swinging from the apple tree in a tire swing, and swimming in a tin barrel full of cold water.
Grandpa loved to spend time outdoors and shared that excitement with us! He took my cousin Stephanie and I canoeing at Tibble Fork in the Summer of 1988. We also had many adventures staying with them in their camper.
Grandpa and Grandma always came to visit us at our house on Christmas. We got together on the Sunday before Christmas 1988 for our Rosen family party.
Our grandparents announced they would be serving a mission in Sevilla Spain. I remember them sharing their testimonies with all of us. A colleague shared these thoughts about him, "His vast church experiences came in handy as he toured the mission giving leadership training and doing problem solving for those without such a background."
My mom had the opportunity to visit them in Spain on their semester abroad before their mission started. I love this picture of the three of them!
My grandparents came home from their mission in the Summer of 1990. We were happy to meet them at the airport.
They came swimming with us at our neighborhood pool. We had fun playing together on our big, orange tube.
We had a Rosen party that Summer and took some pictures of the whole family.
In the Summer of 1991 we moved in with Grandpa and Grandma. My parents had separated and we needed a place to live. My Grandparents house became a place of refuge for our family. Not many kids have the chance to live in their parents childhood home. I loved living there! I felt happy, safe, and cared for. I am glad I had the opportunity to see my grandparents everyday. They were an important part of my life!
I always looked forward to our family parties. Grandpa and Grandma would make Paella and flan for dinner. They shared their love of the Spanish culture with all of us. They also had several woman from other countries come live with them over the years. Grandpa set a great example for me that we should love and accept people of all cultures.
Holidays in the Rosen home were always a big deal. At Christmas time we would dress up to reenact the nativity scene. Grandma would get out the white ornaments cross-stiched with all the family names. We loved running to the banister to find our ornament. We also looked forward to breaking open the pinata.
In the Summer of 1992 we went hiking with Grandpa and my mom. Grandpa had a special place in his heart for my handicapped brother Greg. He lovingly called him "Gregger". He was always helping out with Greg to lighten the load for my mother.
I have great memories of Summer campouts with my Grandpa and cousins.
One of our favorite holidays was celebrating the fourth of July together. The highlight was our grandparents homemade ice cream for dessert. The best place to watch the stadium fireworks was from their front lawn.
Grandpa was a hard worker. He spent hours outside shoveling the snow on Christmas day while the rest of us were warm inside.
Grandpa and Grandma celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on June 5, 1993. They were happy to celebrate with all their children and spouses.
Grandpa was always so busy. This was a rare moment of him taking a nap.
Grandpa's mom, Irene Rosen, passed away in the Summer of 1994. We drove up to Spokane for her funeral. We stopped in McCall, Idaho on our way back. It was nice to get out of the car and stretch our legs for awhile.
Grandpa and Grandma had their picture taken together in 1994. Grandpa was 65 and Grandma was 62. This was the year that Grandpa retired from teaching at BYU. He said, "I realize that 35 years of association with students and colleagues have added up to a career that should now give way for others! (In brief lapses, I think it would be great to do it all over again! I know that I should just resolve to take better advantage of the future opportunities we may be granted. With a posterity of 18 grandchildren, there are no dull moments in sight.)"
Not long after this my grandparents decided it was time to serve another mission together. My grandpa was called to serve as the executive secretary to the Area President in Central America. We had a family party in the Summer of 1995 before they left. It was a blessing that we were able to continue living in their home while they were away. My mom found out she had breast cancer only a month after they left for their mission.
It was very hard for my grandpa and grandma to be away from my mom at this time. They prayed for her and wrote her constantly. But they felt that they needed to stay on their mission. A great blessing was that Bea Martinez from Spain came to live with us and help out my mom. My grandparents were able to come home for a visit in December of 1995. Grandpa was able to be at the hospital with my mom when she had her bone marrow transplant.
My Grandpa went back to his mission after Christmas and my grandma joined him in March. My mom's chemotherapy treatments seemed to be helping. Then in June we got the devastating news that my mom had another type of cancer in her liver. My grandparents were released early from their mission and came home that August. They were able to be with us those last couple months as my mom's health declined even more. I can't even imagine making it through this difficult time without their love and support. My Grandpa was with my mom when she passed away on October 24, 1996.
In December of 1996 we moved with my Dad into a house in Provo. We were glad that it wasn't too far away and we were able to see our grandparents often.
Grandpa had an adventurous spirit. He and grandma traveled the world together.
Some of the highlights were Spanish bull fights, hiking Machu Picchu, exploring The Great Barrier Reef, and floating down the Amazon River.
Grandpa and Grandma went on their third mission together in 1998. They served in Guatemala. I really missed them when they were gone but I'm happy that they loved to serve the Lord.
They came home before Christmas of 2000. They stopped by to visit us on Christmas day that year. I love this picture of them with my brother Greg.
Another family tradition that we all enjoyed was hiking to the Y on the morning of the 4th. It was a great place to watch all the hot air balloons lifting off. We hiked to the Y with my grandparents on July 4, 2000. It is impressive to me when I think that my Grandpa was 71 years old at the time.
Grandma and Grandpa were both able to be there with me when I went to the temple for the first time on May 14, 2001. It was a sacred experience that I will never forget. It was just a few days before I was sealed in the Manti Temple to my husband Kevin.
I love this picture that was taken of them on my wedding day, May 18, 2001! They had been married almost 48 years at the time.
Grandpa loved animals. Especially Phil and Karley's dog Snickers. This picture was taken of him holding Snickers on a campout to Moon Lake.
Grandpa had a passion for family history work. He would always share stories of our ancestors with us. He and Grandma visited the cemetery near Bear Lake where his grandparents were buried in October of 2001.
Grandpa and Grandma decided to go on another mission in 2002. My grandpa was called to be a temple sealer and they were to serve in the Santiago, Chile temple. He shared with me how he was given the sealing power by Thomas S. Monson who was in the first presidency at the time. They asked us to live in their house while they were gone. It couldn't have been better timing for us. We were living paycheck to paycheck in our small apartment. We were also expecting our first baby. I had the memorable experience of dropping them off at the MTC before their mission in May.
Our daughter Mckenna was born on June 19, 2002. She is my grandparents first great-granddaughter. They loved getting to know Mckenna when they got back from their mission. Grandpa called her his "little bright eyes". She was loved and taken care of by all of us. I delighted in seeing her experience what I had. She followed Grandpa around as he worked in the yard. She joined us in all our family traditions. One Fall she helped pick the apples from the trees in the yard. She watched wide eyed while grandpa used his paring knife to peel the apples. Then Grandma made an apple crisp for all of us. I will never forget the smell of cinnamon that filled the house while it baked. All felt right with the world that day. All were welcomed and loved at grandpa and grandma's house. Many of my cousins have taken their turn living there over the years.
We eventually found a place of our own to live in 2006. We continued to visit over the years. We came on holidays to celebrate with them. This picture was taken on the fourth of July 2007. They had nine great grandkids at the time. Today they have 31 great grandkids with two more on the way.
They came to support Kev at his BYU graduation in August of 2007. I love this picture of him holding my Halle. She shares the same birthday month of March with her great-grandpa.
Grandpa and grandma always came to support our kids on their birthdays. This was taken on Kenna's 5th birthday in June of 2007.
Grandpa and Grandma were always glad when we came to visit. They loved to spend time with our five kids. I would come spend the day with them every year on October 24th, the anniversary day of my mom's passing. We would look through the photo albums together. I loved to hear stories of my mom when she was growing up.
Grandpa and Grandma came over for Addy's baby blessing on January 22, 2012. It brought me joy to see the love my grandparents had for each of my children.
We celebrated grandma's 80th birthday on July 8, 2012. It was a memorable party with all of the Rosen family. We had a delicious dinner, watched a slideshow, and shared some of our favorite memories.
It was hard to see my Grandma struggle with Dementia the last several years of her life. It was sweet to see the sacrifices that grandpa made to take care of her. In the Fall of 2013 grandpa made the difficult decision to move grandma into a care center. Grandma's love for Grandpa only grew with their separation. When he came to visit, her whole face would light up and she would exclaim, "there is my beloved husband!"
This picture I took of grandpa and Addy makes me smile every time I look at it. We were visiting Grandma at her care center that day. Addy started to unload her diaper bag which led to a game of tossing the diaper back and forth with Grandpa. They both ended up laughing with diapers on their heads.
Grandpa was able to come out for Halle's baptism on March 7, 2015. He emailed me these sentiments, "Thanks for the picture of two of my dearest girls! It was very special to be a part of Halle's day of making covenants-her baptism and receiving of the Holy Ghost. Kevin gave Halle a beautiful father's blessing! I felt the presence of your mother's spirit smiling her approval. My love to you all. Grandpa"
Grandpa decided to sell their house in the summer of 2015. I had the chance to go over several times before it sold. Grandpa and I would go through boxes and closets together. We found all kinds of treasures and memories as we packed up. I will never forget my last memory in the home we loved. I had come by to pack up some more things. It was around dinner time so I brought a hamburger for both of us. I knew he was so busy that he had probably forgotten to eat. He was grateful that I thought of him. We sat down together at the counter to eat. He held my hand in his and offered the most humble and heartfelt prayer. I couldn't have asked for a more sweet last memory in their home.
My sweet grandma passed away on September 26, 2015 about a month after the house sold. It was a difficult and emotional time for all of us. Grandpa has brought me great comfort since then. We shared our grief with each other. He helped keep the memories of my mom and grandma alive for me.
Grandpa moved into the Legacy Assisted Living Center in November of 2015. The girls and I brought our little Christmas tree to his apartment to cheer him up.
I always enjoyed visiting my Grandpa. I showed up to visit in January of 2016 and they were having ice cream that day. Ice cream reminds us both of grandma. We were really missing her that day!
I was happy to spend my grandpa's birthday with him on March 31, 2016. He turned 87 years old. He was glad to have another new book to read.
In June of 2016 I planned our YW activity at grandpa's assisted living center. The Miamaids came and shared their musical talents with them. We were glad that Grandma Katee, my Aunt Phyllis mom, came to hear the performance too.
Kenna made cookies for everyone at the center and was sharing them with her great grandpa. This is a beautiful memory for me.
Grandpa married Mable Orgill on August 27, 2016. I was able to be there for their wedding and a luncheon afterwards. Their marriage did not go well and didn't last long. I did my best to be supportive of my grandpa during this challenging time.
On April 27, 2016 we took grandpa out to lunch at Kneaders. My sister Teenie was here visiting from New York. We were all happy to have her home with us.
My son Parker received the Aaronic priesthood on January 8, 2017. We were glad to have grandpa participate in the circle. He blessed many through his priesthood service over the years. I am grateful for the example he set for my sons.
Addy and I went to visit Grandpa on January 31, 2017. We took him to Day's grocery store to pick up a few things he needed. It was the cutest to see Addy pushing around the little shopping cart with Grandpa's purchases.
I went to visit Grandpa in August and found him and Mable at choir practice. I loved sitting there and listening to them sing. It made my day!
We had our Rosen family Christmas party on December 17, 2017 at Legacy. I took this sweet picture of the girls admiring Grandpa's nativity if front of his apartment. He and grandma had collected nativities from all the different countries they had traveled to.
Addy and I went to visit Grandpa on March 24, 2018. They had an Easter egg hunt out front for the grandkids of the residents. Addy was happy to share her candy with great grandpa and show him what she found.
On June 24, 2018 grandpa came to cousin Connor's Eagle Court of honor. We are in the same ward. Kev was the scoutmaster at the time and conducted the meeting. Kenna got to sit next to her great grandpa. My Uncle Hal mentioned that there was over 75 years of scouting service from my grandpa down through Connor.
My cousin Peter got married to Alex on August 25, 2018. It was a beautiful ceremony.
I was grateful that my grandpa was able to come too. My grandpa was able to seal many of his grandkids over the years.
Our family went to a concert at Abravanal Hall on September 11, 2018. I was able to sit next to my Grandpa during the concert. I love this selfie I took of us! My cousin Erika was chosen to play the harp with the Utah Symphony.
On November 10, 2018 I stopped by Legacy to visit Grandpa. I found him and Mable playing bingo which was one of their favorite past times. They played to earn chips. Then they could turn in the chips to redeem prizes. My grandpa's favorite prize to choose was a jar of nuts.
We had our Rosen family Christmas party on December 16, 2018 at Mark and Mary Ellen's house. This is one of my favorite pictures of Grandpa and I.
Mable got sick and passed away in January of 2019. I went by to see Grandpa on Valentine's Day to cheer him up. He was excited to show me the gift he had for me. He gave me two pearl necklaces. One of them belonged to my mom and the other to my grandma. It was really sweet of him to give them to me!
Grandpa turned 90 years old on Sunday March 31, 2019. We had a big family party to celebrate him.
We had dinner, played games, and a magician came to entertain us. We love grandpa and were glad we could celebrate with him.
Addy and I went to visit Grandpa on May 5, 2019. She was excited to show him her missing tooth. Grandpa replied, "I'm missing all my teeth"! He recently had all his teeth pulled and got dentures. I laughed hard when he told us that!
I was able to go see Grandpa on May 25, 2019. It was a couple days before memorial day. I took him up to the cemetery to see grandma and my mom's grave. We sat on this bench for awhile and he shared memories with me. I love that he is wearing suspenders and has his peddlers cap with him.
I went to see Grandpa on September 13, 2019. We both had a bowl of gaspacho together. It is a Spanish cold soup. Grandpa used to make it all the time when he was younger. We sat and talked for a long time. I remember being overwhelmed by the new calling I had received a week earlier. I remember him patiently listening and making me feel better about everything.
Grandpa came to Addy's baptism on November 2, 2019. It was special to have him there. He gave Addy a big hug when he saw her in the hallway. It was a tender mercy that he was able to be there for all of my kids baptisms.
I went to visit Grandpa on December 7, 2019. I brought our little Christmas tree for him to decorate. We talked and then watched the BYU basketball game together. Grandpa was a huge cougars fan. He never missed a chance to cheer them on!
We stopped by to visit Grandpa on Christmas day of 2019. He was happy to see all the kids and couldn't believe how much they had grown.
I was able to give my grandpa his Christmas gift. It was a photo book I had printed about my mom. He and I had been working on it together for several months. He was great at helping me with fill in the important dates. He also helped me with the grammar. He told me many times after that how much it meant to him and how much he enjoyed reading it. I went to visit Grandpa in January of 2020. I don't have any pictures of our visit but it was our last one before the Covid-19 pandemic. His assisted living center went on lockdown and I was not able to see him for six months. It was a really hard time for me! I was used to visiting him several times a month. I felt the loss greatly. I was able to talk with him over the phone but it was not the same. I was so sad when I couldn't be there with him on his 91st birthday.
My cousin Aimee got sealed in the Draper temple on August 8, 2020. The tender mercy was that grandpa was given special permission to be there with us! I hadn't seen him for over six months.
It was a beautiful sealing and the spirit was there in abundance. It was one of my last beautiful memories with my grandpa.
I was able to visit my Grandpa at Legacy on October 20, 2020. They started to allow outside visitors again. I hadn't been to my Grandpa's apartment since January. They took my temperature at the desk and I wore a mask the whole time I was there. Grandpa was excited to introduce me to his fiance Lynda Twede. They had met earlier in the year. I could tell how happy my Grandpa was. We are very grateful for how well she took care of my Grandpa for all those months when we were not allowed in the building.
On Novmeber 5, 2020 I got a phone call saying that my Grandpa tested positive for Covid-19 and also had a stroke. I was actually on vacation in California at the time. I was in shock when I heard the news. I started praying that my grandpa would recover from all of this. The more time he spent in the hospital it looked like he would not recover. The stroke had damaged part of his brain and he was no longer able to speak coherently. It was so hard to not be able to run to the hospital to be with him. The nurses were great about giving us updates and letting us talk to him through Facetime. On November 17th I received special permission to go see him at the hospital. I went down as soon as I found out I could. I knew that I needed to see him in person. They had taken him off his feeding tube that morning. I also knew it was a risk since he still had Covid. They had me dress in a hospital gown, gloves, mask, and face shield. It brought me great comfort to hold his hand and talk to him. I told him how much I loved him. I was also able to Facetime my sister and let her talk to him. I stayed with him for about three hours. I was also able to assist the nurse in helping swab and clean his mouth. This was a tender mercy for me. It was the closure that I needed. Grandpa was released from the hospital later that day. The test for Covid was negative this time and he was able to go back to his apartment. My aunts and uncles took turns being there with him. I was able to go over on Friday November 20th to spend some time with him. He was not awake at this point. I said my goodbyes and told him that it was okay for him to pass away. My grandpa hung on for many more days after this. We were all praying that he would be able to pass away. He passed away on November 26, 2020 which was Thanksgiving day. He was 91 years old.
We had a zoom funeral service for Grandpa on Sunday November 29th. I was honored to share some of my thoughts about Grandpa and the beautiful life he lived. On Monday November 30th we went to a family viewing at the funeral home.
We checked the kids out of school so that they could be there with us. I'm very grateful they all knew their great grandpa Rosen.
We drove up to the cemetery for the graveside service. It was nice to see the Air Force Men standing salute.
It was a beautiful day and not too cold for being the end of November.
I took a picture of Halle and Addy standing at my mom's grave. I'm glad my mom and grandparents are all buried next to each other.
I was happy to see my cousin Stephanie and talk about our memories of Grandpa that we have together.
My brother Mike and some of my cousins were pallbearers.
I'm happy that my Grandpa was able to receive his military salute from the Air Force. It was beautiful to watch.
They folded up the flag and handed it to my Aunt Diane. She then gave it to my Uncle Phil to remember my grandpa by.
Our whole family will miss Grandpa. He was an important part of our lives.
It was good to see some of my cousins and catch up with them. It brought me comfort to be around my extended family.
My Uncle Dave brought me this briefcase of Grandpa's. These are some of his belongings that I wanted to remember him by. He used the briefcase on one of his semester's abroad to Spain. It even still had his pencils in it. I also put inside one of his books about Spanish literature, his temple missionary tag, and his peddlers cap. They all remind me of him. I already miss him very much. We grew closer during the last five years since my grandma passed away. These years have been a gift to me! My favorite memories have been talking about our family history and discussing books we have read. In his presence I have found peace, love, acceptance, and happiness. I am grateful that he is finally at peace now. I can only imagine the beautiful reunion that took place when he saw grandma and my mom again. I know that the sting of death can be swallowed up in Christ. My hope and faith in Christ is what will keep me going in these years ahead. I love you Grandpa!
