Rose A. Reed

REED, SHERHOLTZ, BROWN, MURPH

Posted By: Tara (email)
Date: 3/27/2012 at 12:00:37

Rose A. Reed, 92, of Iowa City passed away March 22nd 2012 at home with her family. A Celebration of life will be Wednesday March 28th at the Congregational United Church of Christ,30 N. Clinton St, in Iowa City at 3:00pm. The family requests that instead of flowers, memorials please be directed to Friends of the Animal Center Foundation, Habitat for Humanity or a charity of one's choice.

She was born in Dunn Center, North Dakota, the daughter of Grant C. and Catherine (Sherholtz) Brown. Growing up in North Dakota, Rose was happiest when she was on her horse, with her dog by her side, riding on the prairie or herding cattle. She loved animals of all kinds, occasionally taming a feral cat, coyote or wild squirrel. Attending high school in Dunn Center, she loved to dance and was involved in a number of sports but her favorite was always basketball. Following high school she attended nursing school in Bismark, North Dakota then worked at a variety of hospitals, including TB sanatoriums in Minn. and North Dakota before moving East to Maryland where she became a government ordinance inspector for rifles and grenades during WWII. In November, 1943 she enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, Women’s Reserve in Washington, DC and was eventually stationed at Camp Pendleton, CA. Her time in the USMC was one of the happiest of her life and her favorite duty was working in the motor pool, driving trucks. She had an adventurous spirit and zest for life which sometimes got her into trouble while in high school and as a young adult. She was a pilot and loved flying her Ercoupe, hitchhiked across the county with a friend and lived every minute of her life with intention and joy.

She married the love of her life, Lewis O. Reed, in Laguna Beach, CA. on November 8, 1944. They had 4 children, Louette Roberta, Lewis O. Jr. Tammy Lee and Jody. They lived all around the country during their life together.

Rose moved to Iowa City in 1998 to live with her daughter, Jody, and her family where she was a beloved and vital member of a busy family. One of her favorite pastimes after she moved to Iowa City were playing bridge on Thursdays at the Senior Center and with her best friends, Helen (Parkey) Sorensen, and Lee and Mary Eno on the weekend. She was also a passionate basketball fan, following the Iowa Hawks and the Phoenix Suns and enjoying March Madness even at the close of her life.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, three of her children (Robin, Tammy and Lewis Jr), and her siblings, Dorothy, Goldie, Hazel, Mabel, Russell and Claude. She is survived by her daughter, Jody (Ed) Murph her grandchildren Katie, Sara and Mike and numerous nieces and nephews.