Paul Rose

Surrounded by his loving family, Paul G. Rose died at home on April 20, 2020 of complications from lung cancer.  Paul was born June 6, 1953 to Paul and Lenora Rose of Hardin.  He married Anita (Fraley) Brangenberg in 1986.

Paul grew up with his 3 siblings on the family farm. The kids helped with all aspects of farm life:  raising pigs and livestock and working in the fields.  They had lots of fun times together, such as marching up the hill while singing Christmas carols to cut down their Christmas tree, and walking to visit their cousins the Kamps.  Paul went to a parochial elementary school in Meppen where he tested the patience of the nuns.  He later attended high school in Hardin, during those years he raised hell with the Pluester boys.

At the age of 18, Paul started working with his father in St. Louis as a carpenter. After about 10 years, he decided he wanted to work closer to home, and began P&R construction.  His brother Fred worked alongside him for a few years, until they determined they were too bull-headed to work together.  Paul continued his own business, Fred moved on to a kinder and gentler crew in the city.  P&R construction flourished after he married Anita.  Although they may have seemed like an unlikely match, Anita was soft-spoken and careful with her words, while Paul let you know exactly what he thought – often in a colorful way, they were an entirely complementary pair.  Paul was adamant about doing things right, there were no corners cut.  He was organized, efficient, and extremely hard-working, most of the time working 7 days/week.  Anita managed the business and was the chief designer, Paul lovingly referred to her as “the Boss.” Paul and Anita put great effort into ensuring they understood the needs and wants of the home-owners, with whom they often became quite close.  They developed relationships which have endured for over 30 years.  However, there were times when a home-owner would ask for something that just didn’t make any sense to Paul, it was something that was inefficient, or just unnecessary – in those instances, Paul did what HE thought best.  Paul’s days in the subdivision often ended with a get-together of neighbors and friends at the construction site, or in a driveway.  They generally enjoyed a beer or a rum and coke, and lots of stories were told.  Paul was a draw to the kids in the subdivision.  He created many dirt piles for them to play on over the years and always enjoyed their company.  Most kids even learned a few “new words” from Paul as well.  Paul was generous beyond measure and never hesitated to help.  There was seemingly nothing he couldn’t figure out and he was always ready to tackle most anything.

Paul’s hobbies included travel; he and Anita visited the island of St. Croix in the Caribbean for over 25 years, he also made numerous trips to Canada to hunt big game and to fish, and he enjoyed trips out west to shoot prairie dogs.  Another favorite hobby was fishing with his grand-son Michael on the lake on which he lived.  He loved western movies, particularly those starring John Wayne, and he hated HGTV – as they didn’t know what they were doing.  He would say, “They should just tear that shit down and start over.”

Paul was known for his words of wisdom; “It’s either A or B, and B don’t count,”, “Ain’t nothin’ to it,” and “It’s gotta be somethin’ simple.”  There are many others, and those of you who have met Paul – you know what we mean.

Paul is survived by his children, Patricia Hatem of Columbus, GA and her children Sam and Maria; his daughter Sandra Roberts of Dow, IL and her husband Jeff and their four children Nellie, Will, Edward and Michael; his son Rodney Brangenberg of Jerseyville, IL  and his wife Julie and their three children Jack, Joe, and Rose; his mother Lenora of Hardin, IL; his sister Barb Delleart of Washington, MO and her husband Gene; his sister Sheila Hermesmeyer of Quincy, IL and her husband Tony; and his brother Fred of Hardin, IL and his wife Gina.  He was also blessed with many wonderful nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank Paul’s co-workers and friends for reaching out and providing assistance the last few months.

A private funeral service will be held on Friday, April 24, 2020 at Grimes-Neely cemetery in Jerseyville. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Grimes-Neely Cemetery, which can be mailed to the funeral home, 108 N. Liberty Street in Jerseyville, IL 62052. En route to the cemetery from Alexander Funeral Home, we will take PR for one last ride through his subdivision at 10am.  If you would like to pay your respects, following is the route.  From the funeral home, the procession will go West on Highway 16, South on Cross, and west on Hartcourt into the subdivision, then will proceed to the 2nd Bradford intersection (closest to County Road), then follow the semi-circle around Bradford to the Hartcourt intersection, turning right on Hartcourt and immediately left on McDow, then left on Hickory Grove to Maple Summit.

The family will be hosting a Celebration of Life at a later date.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Paul Rose, please visit our floral store.