Rose Evelyn Steadward

Rose Evelyn Watkins Steadward

Rose Evelyn Watkins Steadward passed from this life at the age of 106 on Saturday, 11 May 2013, at Barling, Arkansas. Rose was born 19 January 1907, in Dalton, Berkshire County, Massachusetts. She was the 2nd child in a family nine girls, and two boys.

She loved school from the very beginning. When she finished eight years at the local one-room school, she begged her father to let her walk the four miles to Dalton to attend high school. He let her go for two years, and then told her that was enough schooling for a girl.

She married Thomas Steadward in 1927 and raised five children in Holyoke, Massachusetts. She moved to California in 1963, where she served as a nanny. She moved from California to Novinger, Missouri in 1977 to reside with her daughter, Mary and husband Lorn (Bill) Chrisman. In March 2013, she moved to Fort Smith, Arkansas, with her youngest son Bob and his wife Linda.

Rose was preceded in death by her parents, George Urvin & Nettie Almira Hathaway Watkins, her husband, Tommy, her daughter, Mary Jean Chrisman, and her sons, Thomas (Dunk), Ray, and Jack.

She is survived by her son, Robert. Rose is also survived by grandchildren, great grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.

She was an avid reader and daily enjoyed crossword puzzles, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy on TV. Rose loved to dance, read, knit, and crochet. She a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and served in many church callings. Rose was a natural caregiver and quietly performed many acts of kindness for others. Rose had a sunny delightful disposition with a quick wit, and a charming sense of humor. She was a humble yet brilliant woman who served as the matriarch of her family.

Funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Thursday (May 16, 2013) at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kirksville. Burial will be at a later date in Forestdale Cemetery in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

Visitation with the family wil be from 10:00 TO 11:00 a.m. Thursday at the church.

Davis-Playle-Hudson-Rimer Funeral Home

2100 E. Shepherd Ave.

Kirksville, MO 63501 660-665-2233

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints Missionary Fund.