Rose Marie Fearnow

All who knew Rose Marie Fearnow would agree that she was one of the sweetest people around. She was resilient and determined with an unwavering strength that was so inspiring. Rose treasured her roles as a mother, but there was nothing as wonderful as becoming a grandmother in her book. Deeply devoted to the Catholic faith, she exemplified what it means to love and serve others in ways both great and small. Life will never be the same without Rose here, but she leaves behind a timeless legacy that her loved ones will proudly carry on in her footsteps.

During the first half of the 1940s the eyes of our nation were focused overseas as countless young servicemen and women were deeply entrenched in WWII. Those who remained stateside dealt with rationing on common goods while manufacturing was focused on supporting the war effort. Amidst this eventful time was the year 1944 when Joseph and Mary (Kastner) Masbaum were able to shift their focus to an exciting time in their own lives as they were eagerly anticipating the birth of their new baby as fall arrived in Huntington, Indiana. The big day finally arrived when the baby girl they named Rose Marie drew her first breath on October 3rd. She was the older of two Masbaum children as she was raised in the family home in Huntington alongside her younger sister, Rita. Rose was raised attending S.S. Peter and Paul Catholic Church and received 1st Holy Communion on May 4, 1952. She graduated from Huntington Catholic High School in 1962 and later graduated from Ravens-Croft Beauty College in 1963.

New and exciting changes were in store for Rose when she met the young man of her dreams. His name was Raymond Fearnow, Jr., and they met at a gift shop. They started dating and on October 3, 1963, at S.S. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Huntington, the two were married. The newlyweds lived in Huntington until 1975 when they moved to the Columbia City area and built a home on Tri-Lakes. Rose was actively involved in the building process as she was helping dismantle barns and repurpose the wood while being pregnant with their youngest son as well. Together she and her husband welcomed five children including Timothy, Kristine, Melinda, Erik, and Scott into her hearts and home. While their children were young they enjoyed family trips to Lake Michigan each summer as well as a trip to Disney World in Florida. A bit later Rose took a memorable trip to Hawaii to go visit her son Scott who was stationed there in the Navy. In addition to cooking for her family, she found peace in doing laundry.

In addition to caring for her family, Rose kept busy in a variety of other ways. She spent some time working as an Avon representative, and she was a hostess at Richards Restaurant in Columbia City. Rose also worked in the deli at Kroger for a brief time, and she even spent several years helping her daughter, Melinda, with her home daycare. Throughout most of her adult life, Rose was a devoted member of St. Paul of the Cross Catholic Church where she was active with Christ Renews His Parish and enjoyed helping with the funeral dinners. Rose had a very strong faith and was a prayer warrior who regularly prayed for her family, prayed with her family when needed, and spent a lot of time at church praying for others as well. She had several close friends through her church affiliation. Over the years these friends and Rose shared with each other cards and they also went to lunch together.

Throughout her life there was never anything of greater significance in Roses life than her loved ones. She didnt like swimming, but she enjoyed having her family up at the lake as she loved nothing more than having everyone all together. Hosting their Fourth of July parties was something she looked forward every year, and she loved cooking for her family as well. It has been said that Rose made amazing fried chicken and pies including pumpkin and lemon meringue pie with the meringue towering inches high. Roses family breakfasts were certainly something to remember as there were piles of pancakes and waffles. She could about cook anything, and when her boys brought home what they had hunted, she set about cooking it all up. Everything Rose cooked was always cooked with her cast iron pans. Rose was thrilled to become a grandmother, and each of her grandchildren made her so very proud. She loved being with her grandchildren and was very involved in everything they did as she never wanted to miss a thing! Rose liked shopping and eating out, and it has been said that she was the one who knew where all the good ice cream shops are! Although she did enjoy eating out, she love cooking and baking throughout her entire life.

Later in life things became a bit more of a challenge when Rose became ill in the late 1990s while training to achieve a desire of becoming an EMT. Later she was diagnosed with leukemia in 2001. She faced it with such strength, however, and she never complained about receiving treatments. No matter what was really going on, Rose always said that she was fine when asked.

Caring, outgoing, and generous to all who knew near, Rose Fearnow was such a blessing. She was a longtime resident of the community she loved, and as someone who was friendly and outgoing she was the sort of person who never met a stranger. Rose faced whatever came her way with both grace and courage, and her devotion to her family was unmatched. Deeply loved she will be forever remembered.

Rose Marie Fearnow, 72, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away at 8:46 a.m. Sunday, November 27, 2016 at Millers Merry Manor. Survivors include her children, Tim (Tam) Fearnow, Kristine (Jay) Straub, Melinda (Aaron) Woll, Erik (Melissa) Fearnow, all of Columbia City and Scott (Ruth) Fearnow, of Ft. Wayne; sister, Rita (Carl) Chalk, of Columbia City; 11 grandchildren, Alyssa Fearnow, Heath (Elena) Fearnow, Wesley Straub, Evan Staub, Cole Straub, Jacob Straub, Shamon (Dave) Ruckman, Alec Woll, Hailey Woll, Austin (Sarah) Fearnow and Blake Fearnow; four great-grandchildren, Malleena, Rease, Dawson, and David Duane; and former husband, Raymond Fearnow, Jr. Rose was preceded in death by her parents.

Visitation is 2-3:45 and 6-8 p.m. Thursday, December 1, 2016, with a Rosary starting at 4 p.m. at DeMoney-Grimes, a Life Story Funeral Home, 600 Countryside Drive, Columbia City. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10 a.m. Friday, December 2, 2016 at St. Paul of the Cross Catholic Church, 315 S Line St, Columbia City. Father Barry England will officiate. Burial to follow at St. Paul of the Cross Catholic Cemetery. Memorial gifts may be given in Roses memory to St Paul of the Cross Catholic Church. Visit www.demoneygrimes.com to send family condolences or sign the guest register book.