Allen D. Rosenow

1952 - 2025

Allen D. Rosenow
Born: December 14, 1952
Died: March 13, 2025
Allen D. Rosenow, 72 of rural Sterling died Thursday March 13, 2025 at CGH Medical Center.
He was born on December 14, 1952 in Morrison, the son of August Edward and Genevieve (VanVuren) Rosenow and was a graduate of Milledgeville High School. He married Cindy Aggen on June 5, 1976 in Sterling. He had worked at Northwestern Steel and Wire. After their closure he worked for a few years at Big Lots in Sterling and later retired from Sewer Equipment Company in Dixon.
"Ask old Al" is what his children's friends used to say when they had a question no one else could answer. Allen was a jack of all trades if there ever was one; from farming, to carpentry, tractor/automobile/motorcycle restoration, dog training, to husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend, he exceled at everything.
Allen had several hobbies and loved the outdoors. An avid angler, though he could not swim. The first time his children learned this was while on a fishing outing and he fell in the canal while trying to fill a bucket with water. It was quite the sight, and a memory they will never forget.
He was always there for his family. Whether it was his daughter who struggled to keep her car between the ditches on a snowy day, enough to where he would answer the phone and say, "where are you this time?" or helping his son fix his car when the rear shocks mysteriously blew. Somehow, Allen knew that it was because his son did something silly like jumping a bridge over the Elkhorn creek, but he never said a word, just helped his son anyway and told him to be careful in the future. He loved helping make hay at his son's small hobby farm, and his niece Paula on hers. Even at one in the morning when a skunk sprayed his son's dog Virgil, he hightailed it over to help his daughter-in-law clean him up. There was never a question of "do I have to?" he just did it.
Allen also gained many friends over the years, several of them through egg sales from his chickens. You may have seen his eggs for sale sign, it was the one with the unnecessary apostrophe that his children used to tease him about.
Throughout his life, he called his children bud, hey, rum dummy, goofball, and a few other things we will keep between us! As his Dementia worsened, he sometimes referred to his son as Bill (his brother), his daughter as the nurse, sometimes knew them, sometimes not. Regardless of what he called them; they always called him Dad.
Allen was a great man, and he will be missed dearly by all who knew him.
Survivors include his wife, Cindy; daughter Heather Armitage of Sterling; son, Eric (Erin) Rosenow of Chadwick; sisters: Marlene Gelsinger of Gepp, AR and Gloria Engel of Rock Falls; five grandchildren: Cole Short, Madi Armitage, Owen Armitage, Genevieve Rosenow and Eamon Rosenow; his best buddy, Nikki (his dog).
He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers: August John Rosenow and William Rosenow; and his sisters Janice Adams and Ardith Spencer.
Cremation has taken place and there will be no visitation. Arrangements entrusted to McDonald Funeral Home & Crematory.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in his memory to the Arbor Day Foundation and Happy Tails Shelter in Rock Falls.