Rose Fitz

Rose Fitz, 96, of Chattanooga, Tenn., passed away on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017. Rose was born in New York City on Jan. 21, 1921. She was married to Roscoe Linton Fitz Jr., for 52 years. Rose was preceded in death by her husband; parents, Harry and Minnie Sheikowitz; sisters, Jeannette, Pauline, Vivian and Shirley; brothers, Zachary and Arnold; nephews, Paul Sherman and Robert Stein; niece, Carol Sherman. Rose worked during WWII as a server where her future husband, Roscoe, was stationed in Miami Beach with the U.S. Army. A mutual friend, Leroy Lightheart, introduced them at a military dance, and she told her sister that evening, "Roscoe is the man I'm going to marry." The following year they married in New York on May 21, 1945. A native Chattanoogan, Roscoe brought home his beautiful bride and raised their family. Rose was baptized in Northside Baptist, and she was a longtime member of Red Bank Baptist and its Mary-Martha Sunday school class. She worked at the Three Sisters shop downtown. Rose was an outgoing person who never met a stranger. She loved her family and was a stay-at-home mom with her three daughters. She adored being a mother, then "Nana" to her grandchildren and, eventually, great-grandchildren. Having a desire to return to Florida, she and "Ross" moved to Jacksonville in 1977. He worked as a credit manager at Roux/Revlon. Three sisters lived in the Daytona area where they relocated. She became a widow in 1997. When she came back to Chattanooga in 2003, she lived at John Calvin Presbyterian Apartments. Rose had many happy friendships there, and she liked living "close to the mall." In 2012, she went into assisted living and, later, nursing care at Summit View. She was especially fond of Rachael, one of several kind caregivers. Dr. Ted Franklin was one of Rose's favorite physicians. How wonderful to hear someone well into her nineties say, "I've had a great life!" Rose is survived by sisters, Beatrice Farber and Rochelle Franklin; children, Linda (John) Ludington, Cheri (Flay) Welch and Loretta (Raymond) Tessmer; grandchildren Wendy (Clay) Hunnicutt and Brian (Erin) Welch; stepgrandchildren, Aubry (Todd) Panek and John (Fiancé, Andrea) Ludington; great-grandchildren, Alyssa and Austin Hunnicutt, Hannah, Haven and Hallie Welch; stepgreat-grandchildren, Christian, Joseph, and John Michael Panek. The family will receive friends today, Feb. 21, 2017, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Lane Funeral Home-Ashland Terrace. Funeral service for Rose will be conducted at 11:30 a.m. today in the funeral home chapel. Interment will follow in Chattanooga National Cemetery. Arrangements by Lane Funeral Home, 601 Ashland Terrace, Chattanooga, Tenn., 37415, 423-877-3524 www.lanefh.com.