Rose Monson

Rose Anna Monson, 75, passed away peacefully at her home Wednesday, May 2, 2018 surrounded by her children - and after watching her beloved Minnesota Twins win for one last time.



Funeral services will be held at 11:00 A.M., Monday, May 7, 2018 at the Emmons Lutheran Church, 490 Pearl St., Emmons, MN 56029 with Pastor Christopher Martin officiating, with a lunch to follow.



Visitation will be held from 5:00 - 7:00 P.M. on Sunday, May 6, 2018 at the church in Emmons.



Rose wished to return home to Massachusetts for her final resting place. A second funeral service will be held 2PM Friday, May 11, 2018 at Pillsbury Funeral Home, 44 Gilbert Street, North Brookfield, MA, 01535, with calling hour from 1 - 2 PM. Interment to follow in Walnut Grove Cemetery in North Brookfield, MA.



Rose was born August 2, 1942 in Ware, Massachusetts, the daughter of Joseph W. & Margaret A. (Pierce) Tucker and was raised in North Brookfield. She attended Worcester State University and earned a bachelor's degree in teaching. She met and married Patrick Ahearn in 1964 and taught for two years in Ware before staying home and raising their four children. They were later divorced. In 1974, Rose married Ardien Monson, and they moved to Minnesota with her four children in 1975. Two years later, they added a fifth child to the mix.



In Minnesota, Rose worked as a nurse's aid at St. John's Lutheran Home before going back to college in 1987 at Austin Community College where she earned her second degree, a bachelor's of Science in Nursing. She joined St. Olaf's hospital in Austin as a registered nurse and worked in the intensive care unit for 23 years until her retirement in 2014.



She loved many things about life. Besides her beloved Twins, she took great joy in spoiling her 14 grandchildren, and spending time with her five children. She also loved Tuesday coffee with Bernice and Bonnie, Bone Builders, spending time with friends in Emmons, and visiting her family in Massachusetts. Rose also loved to crochet blankets and towels and share them with her friends and family; she loved time in her flower garden, was an avid reader, and couldn't turn down an opportunity to shop.



Rose never missed one of her children's sporting events and made every concert and event. Family was everything to her, and she proved this again with a trip to Massachusetts to visit her siblings, nieces and nephews, a shopping outing with her daughter and grandson the day after she returned, and one last sports outing to watch her grandson's gymnastics meet. A week and a half later, the Good Lord called her home.



Rose wasn't the biggest person in the world, but her presence was larger than life, and she had a positive impact on many of the lives she touched. She overcame many obstacles in life, and even with a grim cancer diagnosis, she proved one last time she was one of the toughest, most scrappy women this generation has ever seen.



Rose is survived by her three sisters, Catherine "Tink" Strandberg of North Brookfield, MA, Mabel (Ralph) Buzzell, of North Brookfield, MA, Margaret (Richard) Steiger of Spencer, MA, five children, Candy (Duane) Ellingworth of Kasson, MN, Denis (Hueiwen) Ahearn of Jordan, MN, Cathy (Clyde) Cooper of Mankato, MN, Paul Ahearn of North Mankato, MN, Doug (Mollie) Monson of Mankato, MN; her 14 grandchildren, Emily and AnnaVay Ellingworth, Zachary, Henry and Sophia Ahearn, Sherry, Rosie and Robbie Cooper, Joseph, Thomas, Isaac and Madeline Ahearn, and Tyler and Emmitt Monson; two daughter in-laws, Tiffany Ahearn and Shelly Henk; step-children Neal (Nancy) Monson, Belinda (John) Thomasian, Darla (Gregg) Ackerman and her step-grandchildren; sisters-in-law Bonnie (Pat) Maher, Gloria Bolhuis, Iona (Buzz) Boelter, brothers-in-law Wally Monson and Derald (Judy) Monson; adopted daughter Peiling Liu; many nieces and nephews, whom she loved dearly; and her three cats, Benji, Inky and Lucky.



Rose was preceded in death by her parents Joseph and Margaret Tucker, husband Ardien Monson, brother George Tucker, brother-in-law Roy Strandberg, grandson Charles Cooper, nephew Kevin Tucker and niece Kelly Maher.





You can contact the family with on-line condolences at: www.mittelstadtfuneralhome.com

641-592-0221