Mary Morrow Rose

Mary Ashe Morrow Rose died peacefully at her home on Sunday, May 10, 2026, surrounded by family and friends after an extended illness. She faced her rare bone disorder as a great warrior — with calm deliberation, intellectual curiosity, and deep faith. She studied her condition carefully, reading extensively and keeping detailed notes throughout her journey. Her strength inspired many, rooted in an unwavering trust in God and demonstrated through perseverance, obedience, and action.

Mary was a remarkable woman who became the mother and matriarch of three families. In 1963, she married Jim Rickards, and together they welcomed their daughter Nancy Noel and son Patrick, whom she cherished deeply throughout her life. While raising young children, Mary balanced motherhood with her studies at Brevard College and UNC Greensboro. Later, as a single mother, she worked tirelessly to provide for her family through their adolescent years.

Through her work at Burlington Industries, where she excelled in the Human Relations Department, she met her second husband, Don Rose Sr., a textile engineer. They married in August 1981, blending their family with Don’s daughters, April and Lenna. Together they were active members of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Greensboro, singing in the choir, serving on the vestry, helping with the annual Christmas Bazaar, and enjoying the rich cultural and civic life of Greensboro.

In 2003, Mary and Don retired to Brevard, North Carolina, returning to Steep Creek, the Dunn’s Rock home built by Mary’s parents. There she lovingly tended “Nan’s Garden,” the beautifully landscaped garden along the Greenville Highway, drawing upon her Master Gardener skills. Each Monday, her garden helpers — affectionately known as “The Poseys” — gathered for assignments followed by picnic lunches and fellowship. Mary was also active in the Transylvania Garden Club, most recently enjoying work at the Jimmy Harris Railroad Avenue Depot Park and helping establish a memorial honoring club founder Peggy Boggs.

Mary and Don joined St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, where she formed deep and lasting friendships within the parish family. She chaired the Memorials Committee and completed the four-year Education for Ministry (EFM) program, a theological education course designed to help laypeople connect faith with daily life. After Don’s death in 2011, Mary continued faithfully serving the church through the Flower Guild, welcoming committee, cemetery committee, and countless quiet acts of care whenever needs arose within the parish community.

It was at St. Philip’s where she met David Neumann. Whether during a trip to New York to see Hamilton from the front row or while traveling to the Holy Land with Rev. Tom Lewis, her affection for Dave steadily grew. They were married on December 27, 2020. Mary’s earlier travels with her brothers and their spouses to the Canadian Rockies, Ireland, Great Britain, and Colonsay, Scotland — ancestral home of the Macfie Clan — sparked a lifelong love of exploration. She and Dave later traveled throughout the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Africa, Alaska, Bermuda, and along the Mississippi River. Her favorite story to tell was galloping an Ethiopian horse across the Kenyan plains among herds of zebra and giraffe. She would laughingly say it was even better than riding a camel in Israel.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents, Eben and Nancy Morrow (1910–2000), and by her step-grandson, Jesra Stoll (2007–2026).

She is survived by her husband, David Neumann, of the home; her older brother, Eben Morrow (Janet) of Charlottesville, Virginia; nephew Roger Conner (Karen) of Durham, North Carolina; grandnieces Darby and Tara Conner of Durham; her twin brother, Mac Morrow (Veronica) of Brevard; niece Jenifer Morrow (Brian) of Brevard; grandnieces Mary Grace Morrow-Johnson of Winston-Salem and Ella Christian of Brevard; nephew Cody Macfie (Carolyn) of Asheville; and grandnephews Jack and Thomas Macfie of Asheville; her daughter, Nancy MacDonald of Brevard; grandsons Capt. Morgan MacDonald, USAF, serving overseas, and Clarke MacDonald of Sanford, North Carolina; her son, Patrick Rickards (Katrina) of Brevard; step-grandson Shamsi (Katie) of Bellingham, Washington; great-step-granddaughter Lailabee of Bellingham; stepson Dr. Don Rose Jr. (Donya) of Chapel Hill; step-grandson Cliff Rose of Denver, Colorado; step-granddaughters Jordan Rose of Denver, Alden Rose (Brian) of Durham, and Ella Rose (Clayton) of Durham; stepdaughter April Harris of Raleigh; step-granddaughter Laura Hutchinson (Marina) of Greensboro; stepdaughter Lenna Michener (Mike) of Eagle River, Alaska; grand step-grandchildren Will, Amanda, and Henry Michener of Eagle River; daughter-in-law Carolyn Foster (Shane) of Brevard; grandson Aaron Neumann (Tara) of Gibsonville; great-granddaughter Maeve Neumann of Gibsonville; granddaughter Jaclyn Neumann of Asheville; and sister-in-law Ruth Ann Weisenauer of Brevard, NC.

A memorial service for Mary Ashe Morrow Rose will be held at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at 2:00 p.m., with a reception to follow in Miller Hall.

The service will be livestreamed on Facebook Live facebook.com/StPhilipsEpiscopalchurchbrevard or Youtube.com/@stphilipsbrevardnc/streams

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Hospice Care Four Seasons, 571 South Allen Road, Flat Rock, NC 28731.