Rosemary B Pardue

Her formative years were spent mainly in the company of her beloved sister, Josie, and good friends. Together they visited libraries, sang at weddings, went to see movies and shows, and helped out at their parents’ restaurant. While working for an insurance firm in New Orleans, Rose met the man who would one day become her lifelong sweetheart, companion, and provider, William B. Pardue. Bill and Rose married in 1960, and Rose assumed the role of full-time homemaker after the birth of their two children, Lynn and Bill, Jr. Rose fulfilled that role beautifully, first in Nashville TN and then in Houston TX. She quickly earned a reputation as the neighborhood’s “fun” parent – the one who entertained Lynn, Bill, and a gaggle of their friends. Weekends and summer days would often find Rose behind the wheel of her big, gold Plymouth Duster, sitting atop a phone book and transporting a caravan of rowdy kids to the mall, to a movie, or to Galveston to hunt crabs.

As empty nesters, Bill and Rose returned to Nashville TN, their free time spent dining and traveling with an intimate group of friends, many of them Bill’s coworkers. But they were always happiest on their own or with their kids, appreciating life’s simple things like dinners enjoyed in front of the TV, or evenings spent at their favorite Chinese restaurant. Bill’s retirement years found them first living in Baton Rouge LA and sharing life with a close-knit group of family and friends. They ultimately settled in Sugar Land TX to be nearer to Lynn, Bill and their respective spouses. In 1992, they became grandparents to Jeffrey, and the next few years were spent with family, enjoying time together while watching Jeffrey grow.

Recent years found both Bill and Rose coping with serious health issues. As always, they confronted these issues as a team, caring for and encouraging one another all along the way. In 2016 and after almost 57 years of marriage, Rose said farewell to Bill after he succumbed to cancer. And though Rose’s health difficulties continued, those difficulties did not define her. What really defined Rose was the way she responded to the obstacles she faced, and the character traits that God produced in her as she persevered. God molded Rose into someone so incredibly beautiful – a loving, encouraging, tenacious, funny and joyful presence in the world. Rose loved college football (especially the LSU Tigers), the color coral, shopping, getting pampered, eating lobster and bacon, watching Everybody Loves Raymond, and reading Erle Stanley Gardner crime novels. Most of all, she loved the people whom God placed in her path. She was adored and will be terribly missed.

Rose is survived by her daughter, Lynn Taylor (husband, Gary) of Sugar Land TX; son, William B. Pardue, Jr. (wife, Michelle) of Folly Beach SC; grandson, Jeffrey Austin Taylor of Houston TX; sister, Josie Maurer (husband, Emile) of New Orleans LA; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, William B. Pardue, Sr. and by her parents, Samuel and Cecile Borrello.

The family would like to express their gratitude to the staff at Landon Ridge - Sugar Land and Brookdale Hospice for the incredible care they provided to Rose through the years. Given the coronavirus pandemic occurring at the time of Rose’s death, a private family service will take place on Friday, May 8, 2020 at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home, 13001 Katy Freeway, Houston, TX 77079.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in Rose’s memory be made to a charitable organization that offers support and love to children: Fort Bend County Child Advocates, Inc; 5403 Avenue N, Rosenberg TX 77471 or Lunches of Love; PO Box 1161, Rosenberg TX 77471.