Earl Herbert Claus Rosen

Earl Herbert Claus Rosen, age 84, passed away Friday, October 31, 2003, and will be deeply missed by family and friends. Earl was a lifelong resident of Travis County and was born in Manor, Texas on July 7, 1919, to Claus and Annie Faust Rosen, the last of seven children. He graduated from Manor High School in 1937, and moved with the family to Austin to live on “Swede Hill” on old E. 17th Street. He worked at the original Calcasieu Lumber Company to help support his family. He joined the U.S. Coast Guard in April 1941, and was assigned to the USCGC Winnabago in the Atlantic for antisubmarine patrol. He later was assigned to the U.S. Navy as the senior Chief Petty Officer of the attack transport USS Hunter Liggett and saw action in the Pacific Theatre at Guadalcanal, The Solomon Islands, and numerous other locations. He received an Honorable Discharge from the USCG in 1946. He returned stateside and married Louise Marion Carpenter from Lynn, Massachusetts, on January 13, 1946, and they settled in Austin. Earl went to the University of Texas School of Engineering for four years and then joined the Austin Fire Department during 1950. Earl rose through the ranks to become a Lieutenant and Captain with the AFD and his last assignment was on Engine #7. Earl retired from the AFD in 1976, and thoroughly enjoyed his retirement years. Earl loved people and showed it in many different ways from sharing his homemade wine to giving away plants from his backyard nursery to family, friends, and neighbors. Earl was also a builder and a carpenter. He built several homes and duplexes as an independent contractor in the old Western Trails subdivision in South Austin. Earl liked to refer to himself as a “Jack of All Trades – Master of None”, but the truth was that he mastered everything he chose to do. Mr. Rosen is preceded in death by his wife of 49 years, Louise. He is survived by sons, Ronald E. Rosen and wife Elizabeth of Bedford, Texas and Gregory C. Rosen and wife Julie of Austin; two grandchildren, Heather M. Rosen and Patrick G. Rosen; and sisters, Karen Rosen Nichols of Austin and Anna Rosen Duncum of Rockdale, Texas. A special thanks to Earl’s friends and staff members at the Stonebridge Health Center and the AFD Honor Guard. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation. The family will receive friends from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., Monday, at Wilke-Clay-Fish Funeral Home. A Graveside Service, with honors from the Austin Fire Department, will be held at 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 4, 2003, at Assumption Cemetery. Arrangements by Wilke-Clay-Fish Funeral Home, 2620 S. Congress, Austin 442-1446. You may view memorials at www.wcfish.com.