Beatrice Anne (Bea) Rose's Obituary
Beatrice Anne (Bea) Rose, age 92, passed away Saturday, August 26, 2023, in Grand Haven, MI. She was born October 26, 1930, in Grand Haven, MI, to Gerrit and Helen (Hendrych) Vanden Brand. She graduated from Grand Haven High School in 1948 and then attended Mt. Sinai Nursing in Chicago. On December 9, 1950, she married Joseph Szymas and they had 4 children together. She later married Paul Rose on January 27, 1989 and he preceded her in death on March 2, 2019.
Bea loved being a nurse. She worked for North Ottawa Community Hospital for 25 years and Dunewood Pediatrics for 20 years, where she was kindly referred to as “Nurse Nasty”. If you were a child, you knew why she was called that and were quick to run the other way. After 45 years of helping others, she retired in 1992. In her retirement, she enjoyed spending winters in Florida with Paul. She loved her family very much and will be deeply missed by her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.
Bea is survived by her daughters, Bette Jo (Kenneth) Chudy, Julie Johnson and Jeanne (Garry) De Haan; son, John (Carol) Szymas; 12 grandchildren; 22 great grandchildren; and brother, Gary Vanden Brand. She was preceded in death by her parents; first husband, Joe Szymas and second husband, Paul Rose; sister, Glenda Palen; and sister-in-law, Doris Vanden Brand.
A MEMORIAL GATHERING will be held 5-7 PM on Thursday, August 31, 2023, in the Family Center of The VanZantwick Chapel (620 Washington Ave., Grand Haven, MI 49417). A special ceremony will take place at 5:30 PM by the Muskegon Area Nurse Honor Guard. MEMORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS ’s may be directed to Hospice of Holland. To share special memories with the family, please visit http://www.sytsemafh.com.
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