A time to be born

Rosa was born May 24, 1931, in Montgomery, Alabama to King and Louise Snow. Known to family and childhood friends as Rose and growing up in the old south, her mother, Louise, would favor never separating her two girls and held Rose back one year from attending grade school until her sister, Elvira, was old enough that they could walk together down the “Narrow Lane Road”.  Soon after, the family’s first adaptation of the Three Amigo’s began with Rose, Elvira and cousin, Daisy.  Together they became known to family and friends as Molly, Little Sister and Dolly.  King moved his family to Akron, Ohio in 1944. A few years later, Rose and Elvira would attend West High School where they would meet life-time friend, Carol (Joyce) Finley. Rose would go on to graduate from West High in 1950.

A time to learn

For a short time, Rose lived in Columbus, Ohio to take classes at The Ohio State University. While there, she began employment with the U.S. Department of the Army from 1953–1955, where she met Bernard Carey, a Private in the military. In 1956 they had a son, Michael Lee Carey. Rose went on to earn a BA degree in Political and Social Science in 1961 from Akron University. At AU she became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and was always dedicated to the Akron Alumnae Chapter.

A time to work

During her college years, Rose began a 30–year career as an IRS Revenue Officer and Process Server.  She was selected by the IRS District Director to serve on the task force at the National Training Center in Washington D.C.   She worked from 1957 thru 1987 and retired from the IRS as a Top Examiner, Lead Tax-Payer Service Representative and Tax Program Instructor.

Using her professional skills, Rose became an entrepreneur and started the ROSNO Tax preparation business which she operated throughout Cleveland, Akron, and Cincinnati from 1988–1998.

A time to serve

As she began her next phase, Rose decided to make community services her life’s work, teaching IRS sponsored tax programs to local community groups, high schools, and universities.  She supported many political and social organizations including the NAACP, United Negro College Fund, Southern Poverty Law Center, Disabled American Veterans, and the United Firefighters Support Committee. She was also a frequent volunteer for the Board of Elections. After full retirement, Rose became an active member of the Ed Davis Seniors Social Group.

Mother Rose Snow was a faithful servant of the Lord and received recognition from the United Baptist Church as a “Seasoned Saint”.

A time to live

Rose was an avid reader. She read the Akron Beacon Journal daily from front to back. She loved reading romance novels and any books by Black authors and those that chronicled black history. Rose was in a perpetual teaching and learning mode, aside from tutoring in and around the community. She learned to play piano, took up hobbies like sewing and knitting, and prided herself in learning line dancing. For leisure, Rose often traveled to other countries, collecting black art and souvenirs from Europe and the Caribbean. Her quiet time was spent solving crossword puzzles, watching her favorite TV show “Murder She Wrote” or getting friends to play her favorite board game “Scrabble”.

Rose had set standards and had high expectations of everyone including herself, none more so than taking care of family and leaving a legacy. She was a guiding force in all of the Snow, Riley, Haywood, Williams and Weatherly family reunions.

The family

Rose was preceded in death by her mother, Louise Virginia Snow (Weatherly); father, King D. Snow; sister, Elvira Warren-Cumby; grandson, Brandon Michael Carey; niece, Diana Lynn Harris; aunt, Anna Pearl Henderson (Weatherly) and cousins, Selma Gamble, Dan Robinson and Daisy Robinson Patterson.

Rose is survived by her son, Michael Lee Carey; granddaughter, Dana Gail Carey; great grandson, Brandon Michael Ennis; nephew, Darryl (Dena) Warren; great nephew, Talbert James Warren; great niece, Talitha (Anthony) Braggs; great-great niece, Talaina Warren and cousins, Mary Louise (Lonny) Williams, Hank Weatherly, Norman Weatherly, David Gamble, Gary Gamble, Veronica Gamble, Clifton (Kelli) Gamble, Lizzie M. Pratet, Faye Potts and DeNise Hardy-Green; extended family and life-long friend, (auntie) Joyce Finley-Johnson and a host of other family and friends.