Clarence Rose Jr.

I want to remember my dear father, Clarence Rose Jr. for the man he became, and I hope everyone else will too. My father had a story that was his own, unique, imperfect, and shaped by a lifetime of doing the best he could with what he had.

Pops was born in New Orleans on February 22, 1947. He was raised by his mother Elizabeth Stokes Rose, his grandmother Millie Stokes, and his grandfather Joshua Rose. He grew up surrounded by his eight siblings Elijah, Lily May, James, Lionel, Rene, Doris, Eddie and Scootie.

Pops often told me that growing up during Jim Crow was not easy. He remembered the way people treated him and how attending a segregated school made him feel, in his own words, “worthless.” Even with those painful memories, he carried the good ones too. He remembered picking okra as a child, disappearing into the woods for days while hunting gators and snapping turtles and anything that was “good eatin,” and he fished out on the Mississippi. Pops was a true country boy at heart.

He did not finish school. He left early so he could work and help his family. In 1967 he joined the Job Corps, a choice that eventually brought him all the way to California, where he built a new life and raised a family.

Pops was an artist with his hands. He built ejection seats. He worked on the car from the movie Blade Runner. He helped build the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. He never bragged about what he accomplished, but he put real skill and pride into everything he touched. Even with all that work, what he was most proud of were his sons Dion, Alvin, Adam and me.

Pops loved in the way he knew how. His love was shaped by the world he came from, by time, and by the lessons life taught him. He shared his wisdom through simple sayings that will stay with me forever.

“Boy, get ya own so you do not have to worry about borrowing anything.”

“Get your education, that is something they cannot take from you.”

“That is your momma, you only have one.”

“Sleep with one eye open like the penguin.”

“My momma told me you do not have to go to church, just believe.”

The second half of his life was better than the first. I believe God used my father to give me the love I needed. I hurt Pops and he forgave me. Whenever I asked, he provided. Whenever I called, he answered, even from where I am today. He will not be coming to see me again, but I know one day I will go to see him.

Pops is survived by his wife Sophia. He is also survived by his four sons Dion, Alvin, Adam and Daniel “Wayne” Rose. He leaves behind his grandchildren Shanae, Shon, Kiera, Mariah, Aliyah, Daniel, Laniece, Ariana, Marcus, Alisa, Alexa and Alexandria Rose. He also leaves behind his great grandchildren Terence, Maliah, Ava, Kota, Brandi and Love.

My father lived a full and complicated life. It was real, it was hard, and it was his. I honor him today not as a perfect man but as my Pops, a man I will always love and remember with gratitude.

Rest in peace Pops. I will carry you with me until we meet again.