Rose was born on January 31, 1943 in Acala, Texas to Earnest & Ester Evans, the second born of their seven children.

From the beginning, her dad proclaimed her to be his Little Yellow Rose of Texas. Yellow just happened to be his favorite color. The Evans family was well traveled, mostly due to the search for employment. Texas was just a brief stop along the way. Back in those days, children were expected to contribute to the family unit at an early age. Before the age of ten, Rose had already lived in four states and had picked peaches, apples, and of course cotton. She was a real honest to goodness cotton picker. Well maybe not so honest, her younger sister Flossie tells how Rose would sometimes cheat just a little and throw cotton bolls in the bag to gain a little extra weight at the scales. She was eventually able to get past all that cotton picking and move on to other things. Rose was the right name for her. She worked in several floral shops over the years. She really enjoyed flowers, and took a great deal of pride in her work. She surely did create some masterful and beautiful flower arrangements throughout the years.

Rose was a woman of faith. She felt that her main job on this earth was being a prayer warrior. She prayed hard and she prayed often. She prayed for nearly everyone. She was always careful to mention every single person by their name. Gods' angels were always summoned to surround and protect all those in her prayers. She trusted God for anything and everything, no matter what the circumstances might be.

Rose loved music and she loved to sing. Gospel music was played a bunch at her house. She also sang many a song in church services alongside her brother (Jerry) and her sister (Flossie). Rose surely cherished those memories.

She married Marvin Thomas on Christmas day in 1991. They lived in Florida for a while and in Mississippi for awhile. They owned a motor home and traveled quite a bit across the country. They eventually sold the motor home and put down roots in Idabel, Oklahoma in McCurtain County in 2006 in order to be near her parents and relatives.

Rose was always willing to help. She truly was all about family; that always was the center of her life. She would not have wanted it any other way. We will be forever thankful for that and all her love that she so freely gave.

Because of their names, big sister (Rose) was nicknamed Big Flower and little sister (Violet) was nicknamed Little Flower. We all had fun going back and forth with that, and it was so nice to hear them tease each other. Both flowers have now passed, but their precious petals shall never wither and will be with us forever and always.

Rose leaves her legacy for caring, kindness, and prayer in our hearts and in our minds. Her passing leaves us with a great void that will forever remain. We are both fortunate and thankful for the opportunity to have been blessed with sharing her life, her dreams, her thoughts, her stories, her faith, and her great enduring love. She was dearly loved by a multitude of people. She cherished that love and kept us all in a special part of her heart. We will miss her greatly, but we will always have her with us as we hold her life, her memories, and her love in her special place within our own hearts.

Rose was preceded by the passing of Marvin Thomas in 2013 (husband of 21 years); her mother and father, Ester Evans in 2013, Earnest Evans in 2002; and Violet McDonald (younger sister) in 2017.

She is survived by her children; Randy Dollar and Rose Ann Coleman; three brothers, Jerry Evans, Alvie Evans, and Jess Evans; two sisters, Flossie Fast and Emma Hancock; many grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and friends.

She will be laid to rest beside her beloved husband in Crown Hill Cemetery.

Services
Brumley Funeral Home Chapel
Broken Bow, Oklahoma
Saturday, February 10, 1:00 PM
Interment: Crown Hill Cemetery