Rose moved from Richton, MS to Portland, OR shortly after her mother’s death in 1965. She settled in with her Aunt and Uncle, Essie Mae and Henry Rhone Sr. She attended Portland State College (University) majoring in English before she married Henry Husband and gave birth to her daughter Benita. After her divorce from Henry, she married Hugh Robert Green and gave birth to her son Hugh (Rob) Robert Green Jr.
Rose led a life of love and service. Her strong faith in God guided her life. She taught her children and grandchildren to believe in themselves and to never let those around them dictate their potential or purpose. She made sure that they knew that they always mattered to her and to God. She was their greatest fan, attending almost every game, dance recital, or performance.
Rose made everyone who came into contact with her feel special. She never let a birthday or holiday pass without reaching out through a call, a visit with a present, or sending one of her famously beautiful cards.
She loved everything about Christmas. And she started early by picking up gifts throughout the year for family and friends. She even kept extra gifts just in case someone dropped by, because she lived the Christmas spirit. And the food--her rum cake, spritz cookies and standing rib roast will be sorely missed.
Rose’s thoughtfulness had no bounds. She was the one you could count on to build you when you were down and to celebrate your achievements as if they were her own. She demonstrated real friendship through her actions.
As an educator, she brought the same kind of service to the students at both East and West Orient schools, first as a behavioral modification aide and later in the beloved Mrs. Green’s computer lab. But she didn’t stop there, she also extended this service as part of the Oregon School Employees Association, making sure that Classified Employees in her district and the state received fair treatment and compensation. In 1997, she received the OSEA Classified Employee of the Year Award for her efforts.
Even after her retirement, Rose continued to be of service to the community.
While working as a community health worker with Kaiser Permanente and the African-American Collaborative Research Network she trained “Soul to Sole” program participants for The Hood To Coast relay race. She and friends also volunteered at the local soup kitchen in Gresham.
Rose liked to have fun too. She was a professional bargain shopper for anything. She loved fabric and making full quilts and quilted items. Her courtyard garden was a daily devotion and she rarely turned down a trip to one to the nearby Casinos with her friends. She treasured her “Tuesday Group Ladies” and the many meals she shared with every friend.
There wasn’t a place in the world that Rose didn’t make a friend from Gresham Dollar Tree to the Louvre Museum in Paris; Rose’s smile, laugh, hugs, and good will be felt forever.
Rose is survived by her brother Dr. Richard Williams Jr. and sister-in-law Dr. Voletta Williams (Port Gibson, MS), her children Benita Husband (Los Angeles, CA), Hugh Robert Green Jr. (Portland, OR), and four grandchildren Keyesa, Niyya, Jibril and Ismail Green. She is preceded in death by her husband Hugh Robert Green Sr., her sisters Dorothy Morris and Rosie Lee Jones, and her parents Effie Ethelrine Williams and Richard Williams Sr.
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