By Staff
Rose G. Chevrolet, 96, of Niles, died at 5:40 p.m. Monday, June 1, 2009, at the Hospice House of Holland, following a brief illness.
There will be a Mass of Christian Burial at noon on Tuesday, June 9, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Niles celebrated by the Rev. William T. Melody, C.S.C. of Notre Dame, Ind.
Committal services will follow at Calvary Cemetery in Niles.
Friends may call at Halbritter Funeral Home, Niles from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday, June 8, with the praying of the Rosary at 7:30 p.m. Friends may also call at the church on Tuesday from 11 until 11:45 a.m.
She was born on May 28, 1913, in South Bend, Ind. to Anthony and Rose (Vargo) Kish.
She met her husband, Alfred J. Chevrolet, on a blind date when they both attended a Notre Dame football game.
Alfred was one of the two children of the founder of the Chevrolet Motor Company. He chose not to work at Chevrolet, but began to work for Bendix Corporation in the late 1930s until his retirement on an assembly line making parts for the automobile industry.
On Feb. 12, 1944, Rose married Alfred in South Bend, Ind. They immediately moved to Detroit, where they were known by their friends as "the honeymooners."
As often as they could, they traveled in their Chevrolet car, or went hiking or dancing. In her own words, Rose said they "… lived a simple life."
During her life, Rose was an active member of the Detroit Symphony Association. She also enjoyed interior design and designed and tailored her own clothing throughout her entire life.
Several years after Alfred's death in 1971, Rose returned to the South Bend area, sharing a home with her sister, Emma T. Rodgers in Niles. Both were members of St. Mary's parish and they contributed their services as altar servers and maintaining the linens and vestments used for Mass and other services.
Rose was known for her daily walks, including opening St. Mary's church each morning for daily Mass.
In 2003, she moved to Freedom Village in Holland. She lived there for the past six years and until very recently, she would walk the halls daily, encouraging other friends and residents to join her.
While in Holland, Rose belonged to the Saint Francis DeSales Catholic Church.
In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her sister, Emma T. Rodgers on March 25, 1996.
Her surviving family includes a niece, Renee Chevrolet Goeke of Carmel, Ind.; Rene's daughter, Lisa (Dan) McDaniel and their children, Matthew McDaniel and Nicholas McDaniel, all of Noblesville, Ind.
Suggested contributions in memory of her may be made to St. Mary's Christian Service Center, the Freedom Village Scholarship Fund, or the St. Francis DeSales Catholic Church.
Arrangements were by Halbritter Funeral Home, Niles.