Rose Jowers Maneely

Rose Maneely of Austin, 97, passed away on Tuesday November 26, 2013. She was born Rose Terry Jowers on September 23, 1916 in the village of May, Texas, in Brown County. She was named after her Aunt Rose and her Mother’s maiden name Terry. A lifelong Texan, she lived in May, Seguin, Victoria, Gonzales, Mission and Austin.

Rose’s parents were Joseph D. Jowers and Andora (Gonnie) Terry Jowers. Her siblings were Garlyn Bettis, Joseph D. Jowers Jr., Maurine Hollan, and Lloyd Dooley, all deceased. She is survived by her son, Robert Allen Brune Jr. and wife Mary Zimmerman Brune of Austin; a daughter, Terry Ann Brune Miller and husband Dr. Jim Miller of Mission; and step-daughter Cynthia Maneely DeVoy and husband Dennis DeVoy of Delavan, Wisconsin. Rose had four grandchildren eight great-grandchildren, five step grandchildren, 21 step great-grandchildren, and two step great great-grandchildren.

Her first marriage was to Allen Brune in Lockhart in 1937 and ended with a divorce in 1948. Rose, her two children, and her Mother then moved to Austin. Her second marriage was to Louis Maneely in Austin in 1971.

Rose graduated from high school in Gonzales, attended Howard Payne College on a basketball scholarship and Southwest Texas State Teachers College. In the 1950’s she received a Bachelor’s Degree with an English major from The University of Texas. Education and teaching were especially important to her. She taught at a one room rural school near Gonzales as a young woman and then taught many years in the Austin Public Schools until her retirement. She taught English, Mathematics and Vocational Education. She wrote the original curriculum for the Introduction to Hospital Science in the Austin high schools and taught the course for many years to students from all the high schools. She was a past president and member of the Eta Tau Chapter of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society, an honorary teacher’s organization. Also, Retired Teachers of Texas, and Eastern Star.

Upon retirement, Rose and Louis traveled all over the country for many years to most of the states in their pickup and travel trailer. They wintered in the Rio Grande Valley or Columbus and traveled the rest of the year as long as they could. They lived a joyful and fun life together. At the end, they lived at the Park Bend Health Center, a nursing center in North Austin, until Louis passed away in 2006 and Rose lived there until her death. In all, she lived there 12 years. They were very thankful to the staff at Park Bend for their wonderful care.

Rose was a lifelong Methodist. Her Grandfather was a Chaplin in the Confederate Army, then a circuit rider preacher, and then a preacher in Jonesboro, Texas. Her last church for many years was St. John’s United Methodist Church in Austin. Her favorite hymns were Amazing Grace and Doxology. Her favorite scriptures were Psalm 23; Psalm 27 4-9, and John 14 1-6 and 25-27.

Memorial gifts may be sent to St. John’s United Methodist Church 2140 Allandale Road, Austin, Texas 78756 or the charity of your choice.

Visitation will be 6 to 8 PM at Cook-Walden Funeral home, 6100 North Lamar, Austin, Texas on Sunday December 22, 2013. A graveside service will be in the North central part of town at the Gonzales City Cemetery on College Street, Gonzales, Texas at 10:30 AM Monday December 23, 2013.