Tributes

It is with profound sorrow and humble acceptance of God's will that we announce the passing of James Currie Rose II, our beloved father, husband, grandfather, brother and child of God. Jim died peacefully in his home on Jan. 20, 2022, with his beloved wife and youngest son by his side. He will be greeted in the Kingdom of Heaven by his father, mother and two sisters. Jim was born in Escondido, CA on November 19, 1944, to James Currie and Eleanor Josephine Rose, the youngest of four children, with his sisters Diane, Patricia and Beatrice. He came into the world as a local celebrity, having made the local paper as a 10.5 lb baby boy, born after an 11-month pregnancy. Record taking in those days were not as robust as in the age of the internet, so we make of that what we can. His father was a brakeman for the Santa Fe railroad during the war, as the Army had deferred him to a Defense role because of his daughters. In 1946, the family moved to Compton, CA for Jim's early childhood. He loved Hopalong Cassidy as a child, and his fondness for Westerns never diminished; even into his twilight years, he loved watching reruns of Marshall Dillon in Gunsmoke, and the Barkley family of Big Valley. The family relocated to Lynwood in 1950, where he attended St. Philip Neri Catholic school through 8th grade. He expressed an early love for the Church by serving as an altar boy for the parish, and his sister Beatrice fondly remembers how he loved pretending to be a priest during his play time. He attended Lynwood High, graduating in 1962, before attending Compton City College for 2 years. In 1964, he joined the Air Force and was stationed in West Germany during the late 1960s, when he met his beloved wife, Sonja. They married and returned to the US in 1971, where he began his early career as an Air Traffic Controller in Goleta, CA. Jim and Sonja started a family that birthed 4 boys; James, Brian, Andrew, and Sean. The young family relocated to Lancaster, CA for a few years, and then finally settled in Santa Maria, CA, where he worked on various projects at Vandenberg AFB, including one of NASA's Columbia space shuttle missions in 1985. After DoD budget cuts in the 90s, he became a Farmers Insurance agent for many years, before deciding to pursue a degree in Criminal Justice from UCSB. He then went on to work for the County of Santa Barbara as a Family Support Officer, where he remained until his retirement in 2006. Through the ups and downs of his colorful career, he felt his greatest passion in serving others and in service of the Lord. As an extraordinary minister with St. Louis de Monfort parish, he took great joy in distributing the holy Communion in the church, and also served our community's sick and the elderly, by delivering the holy Communion to their homes and the hospital. He was a tireless and selfless volunteer with the Right to Life, having been instrumental in launching the local 40 days for Life campaign in Santa Maria, which continues on in the struggle for the defense of the unborn. Jim's ultimate vocation was not valor or glory, but in the defense of the sanctity of human life and dignity for all children of God. While some spoke of what makes a Great Man, Jim taught his boys the eternal importance of what makes a Good Man. Jim taught his boys that good men show kindness to all, provide defense for the defenseless, and above all things, practice Jesus's first and second commandments; to love God, and to love one Another. Jim is survived by his wife Sonja, sister Beatrice, his 4 sons, and many nieces, nephews and grandchildren, who loved him dearly and will miss him greatly, until we see him again. Family and friends are respectfully invited to attend the services on the 24th of February 2022. Services will begin with the Rosary at 11:15 A.M., followed by Funeral Mass at 12:00 P.M, at St. Christopher Catholic Parish located at 25075 Cottonwood Ave. Moreno Valley, CA 92555. Interment service will follow at 2:00 P.M, at the Riverside National Cemetery, 22495 Van Buren Boulevard, Riverside, CA 92518 The family requests in lieu of flowers, to send donations to his most cherished vocation: https://www.40daysforlife.com/en/donate.aspx For donations to the local campaign that Jim was instrumental in launching, please mail them here: Right to Life Central Coast 431-A E. Church St. Santa Maria, CA 93454

Tributes

James Currie Rose II

November 19, 1944 - January 20, 2022