Donald Arthur Rose
As the sun rose on the morning of February 8, 2019, Donald Arthur Rose (Don) peacefully passed away surrounded by his beautiful orchids at the Serenity House and was reunited with his beautiful wife, Linda and precious daughter, Lindsay.
Don was born on August 25, 1951 and grew up on Rancho Buena Vista near Tucker’s Grove. He moved with his parents, Arthur and Ethel; his older brother, Richard; younger sister Christine and his baby brother, Timothy from Santa Monica when he was 5 years old. The Rose family spent many happy days on their ranch, enjoying picnics and hiking at Tucker’s Grove. Don also enjoyed many long summer days surfing with his friends at College Point, Sands, and Jalama. After Don’s parents retired, Don, Richard and Tim purchased the house from their parents and lived there together until Richard and Tim got married. Don loved the Rancho Buena Vista where he spent the rest of his life gardening and tending to his exotic collection of orchids.
He attended Cathedral Oaks School, as well as Goleta Valley JH, La Colina JH, and San Marcos High School. He graduated from UCSB with a BS degree in Physics.
Don had a long professional career as a freelance technical writer. Don worked at many local technology companies and institutions, including Delco, Digital Sound, Sputtered Film, Vetronix, and most recently FLIR.
Don met his future wife, Linda Marie Hollenhorst, while at Delco. Don and Linda married in Santa Barbara on July 7, 1990. They were blessed when their daughter, Lindsay Anne Rose, entered their lives on February 17, 1994. Lindsay had a beautiful childhood growing up in Goleta and excelled academically and athletically. The Rose family spent many happy days on the softball field with Lindsay as an outstanding player, Don coaching, and Linda cheering them on with friends in the stands.
Don’s two-plus decades of coaching softball started simply as a father coach to his daughter Lindsay with Goleta Valley Girls Softball Association (GVGSA). He later became the head coach of the JV Girls softball at Dos Pueblos High School and coached there until 2018. Don also helped coach the Central Coast Express, a travel club team comprised of girls from Goleta to Paso Robles. Coach Don’s commitment, humor and strength were truly an inspiration to many of the hundreds of young ladies and their families that had the privilege to have him as their coach.
Don was a member of the Jazz Combo Workshop directed by Kim Collins off and on for nearly 20 years. In that time, he worked on mastering improvisation on the trumpet, playing many beautiful lines in harmony with his combo mates. He will be greatly missed by his friends in the class especially Court, Erik, Bill, Gretchen, Jim, Dan, Tom and Manny, who all joined him in recent years in his combo that performed in many jazz concerts.
Don enjoyed F1 racing which he literally followed to Austin, Indy, Montreal, Spa, Long Beach, and Japan. He was proud of his Ferrari hat and stock he had in the company.
In the last 10 years of his life, Don faced the most traumatic and sorrowful situations that life can present: the loss of a beloved child followed by the loss of a loving spouse and partner and then diagnosis of his own terminal illness. Throughout it all, Don displayed remarkable courage and good grace. He was never bitter, resentful or self-pitying. Following the loss of their daughter, Don and Linda’s marriage grew even stronger. When Linda became ill, Don was a devoted and selfless caretaker. Don’s special courage in the face of the most wrenching challenges that life can present was a true inspiration to all who knew him.
The Rose family would like to extend their appreciation to the many loyal friends who have offered their support during his courageous battle with cancer and a very special thank you to all of the nurses at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, and Ridley Tree Cancer Center and Serenity House who provided such compassionate care during his final days.
He is survived by his younger brother Timothy Rose; sisters-in-law: Beata Rose, Kathy Rose, Kathy Howell and brother-in-law Brad Howell.
Don is predeceased by his wife, Linda; his daughter, Lindsay; his parents Arthur and Ethel; his brother, Richard; his sister, Christine and mother-in-law, Ceil.
Don’s family and friends will gather at Tucker’s Grove area 2 on Saturday, April 13th at 1:00pm to share our love and memories of Don. Food and refreshments will be provided; please email your questions to Gaby at rosesinsb@gmail.com.
In his memory, please donate to Ridley Tree Cancer Center, Serenity House of Santa Barbara, Goleta Valley Library, or Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy.