Rose Ellen Sage

Rose Ellen Sage passed away on October 17, 2025, at the age of 84. She was born on August 20, 1941, in Parma, OH, and was the daughter of the late Franklin and Helen Conway and the daughter-in-law of the late Russell and Marcella Sage.

Rose graduated from Ashland High School and went on to attend Ashland College, graduating in 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Rose was married to the late Michael Joseph Sage, her beloved husband, for 42 years until his passing in 2004.

During her early married life, Rose was a homemaker and mother to three children, Steve, Nick, and Michele. Rose was a dedicated gardener, and her family enjoyed the bounties of her green thumb.

As her children grew, Rose took on part-time work until becoming a full-time English teacher at Seneca Valley High School in the Montgomery County Public School system in 1980. Her career in public education continued as she became an English Resource Teacher/Head of the English Department at both Banneker Junior High School and Poolesville Middle/Senior High School. During this time, she was also pursuing her master's degree at Georgetown University and graduated in 1985 with a Master of Fine Arts degree in Writing.

After thirteen years as a teacher, Rose left the classroom to become a Vice Principal at Walt Whitman High School in 1993. This was well after her own children had graduated from Whitman, much to their relief. She continued in this administrative role until her retirement in 2003.

In her retirement years, Rose enjoyed spending time with family and friends. She was an avid reader and member of the Happy Bookers book club. She relaxed at her favorite NC beach where she soaked up the sun and fished. Rose compiled her favorite recipes into a book that she published and distributed to family and close friends. The pages of her cookbook were annotated with many of her husband's favorite sayings and included illustrations from her granddaughter, Corinne.

In addition to her parents and her husband, Rose was preceded in death by her sisters, Louise Conway and Patricia Richey, her brothers-in-law, Tim Sage and Dale Richey, and her sister-in-law, Linda Sage. Rose is survived by her son Steven Sage of Rochester, MI; her son Nicholas Sage (Donna) of Fort Collins, CO; and her daughter Michele Sage (Pat) of Bethesda, MD. She is also survived by her four grandchildren Maya, Corinne, Megan, and Lilah, and by many nieces and nephews.

Rose's family will receive friends on Friday, November 21, 2025, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Robert A. Pumphrey Funeral Home in Bethesda, MD. A Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, November 22, 2025, at 11 a.m. at St. Bartholomew Catholic Church in Bethesda, officiated by Rev. Mark Smith. A private burial will take place at a later date.