Called to Glory–Richard Rose

Richard was born on April 20, 1951 in New York, NY to Frederick and Doris (Kiefer) Rose. Along with his sisters, Sharon and Karen, he attended public and parochial schools, graduating from Floral Park Memorial High School in 1969. Richard’s passion for church music began during his childhood in New York, where he sang in the children’s choir at Grace, Queens Village. Richard would then go on to attend Concordia Teacher’s College in River Forest, IL, now Concordia University Chicago, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

In 1975, Richard was called to ministry at Walther Lutheran High School in Melrose Park, IL, where he passionately served his Lord for 40 years. His only time away from Walther came in 1979 when Richard left to teach at Long Island Lutheran High School in order to be with his father in his last years of life. He returned to Chicago in 1981.

It was during this brief time that Richard made a quick trip back to Chicago to visit with an old friend and mentor, Loris Rather. Since there was no Google Maps at the time, Loris sent his daughter, Kathleen, to pick Richard up at a gas station near his house and bring him back. Two weeks later, Richard and Kathleen Marie Rather became engaged. As he always said, “when you know, you know.”

Richard and Kathleen were married on December 27, 1981. For 39 years, they lived out their family motto together to “Train up children in the way they should go…” (Proverbs 22:6) as they raised their own children, Samantha and Frederick II. Samantha took over “the family business,” serving as head of the Walther Grade School Instrumental Program and now Fine Arts Department Chair at Walther Christian Academy, where she teaches band and theatre. Fred is the Head of Credit & Liquidity Solutions for RBC Wealth Management, based in Minneapolis, MN. Fred and his wife, Melissa, have two children, Maxwell and Liam, who affectionately refer to their grandfather as “Pop Pop.”

The motto to “train up children” went beyond his immediate family and extended to the thousands of lives he touched at Walther. Richard served in a wide range of capacities fitting his varied gifts, including: grade school band director, high school band director, jazz band director, religion, accounting, and special education teacher, assistant basketball coach, drama producer, architect, builder, painter, lighting director, janitor, and even, believe it or not, poms coach! No task that needed to be accomplished was too great or small. He did whatever it took to give his students the opportunity to realize their God-given talents to the best of their ability.

Richard also served alongside Kathleen as Minister of Music at the Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit in Elk Grove Village from 1996 until his passing. Richard was passionate about the musical traditions of the Lutheran church and wanted to ensure his instrumental students could use their talents to praise God beyond their years in school. To do so, he worked tirelessly for years to arrange all major hymns in the Lutheran Hymnal to be played by any group of musical instruments, whether four or forty players. Those hymn arrangements were eventually published in a four-book series by Concordia Publishing House as the Hymnal Companion for Woodwinds, Brass, and Percussion, earning Richard the nickname, “The Hymn Man.”

Richard Rose passionately dedicated his life to living, serving, and teaching authentically. His legacy moves forward through thousands of God’s children who grew in their own faith as they learned to serve through their God-given talents. From the Walther Grade School Instrumental Program, which he founded in 1975, to teaching at Walther, to mentoring students, Richard Rose did not accept mediocrity or someone’s half-best. He pushed those around him to perform at the level he knew they could achieve, not just what they accepted for themselves. Richard saw this world through the eyes of Jesus and made an effort every day to follow God’s commands of loving the broken back to life, caring for the sick and needy, and providing for his neighbor before even considering the cost to himself. Because of Richard Rose and his lasting impact, there are several generations that have seen, touched, and tasted what it means to love God, love people, and make their own impact on this world.

In lieu of flowers, Richard requested gifts be made to continue the legacy of the Walther Fine Arts Department. To honor this request, the Richard Rose Memorial Fund has been established at Walther, with a particular focus on the Walther Grade School Instrumental Program.