Jack Rose

ROSE _ Jack. The children of Jack Rose (Loree, Jeffrey and Valerie) are saddened to tell you our dad died at The Weinberg Residence on May 19th, 2006 in Vancouver. Son of Jean and Ben Rose, beloved husband of Shirley Rose (died October 2005), father-in-law to Paul and Terry, brother of Doreen, brother-in-law to Betty.

Born and raised in Vancouver, Jack excelled in gymnastics and diving. In his teens he was part of a circus act and he dove off the old Cambie Bridge with 2 friends. He bought his first bicycle from Woodwards for $1 and delivered telegrams downtown earning 3 cents each. In April 1940, he enlisted and became a signalman in the Royal Canadian Corp of Signals and was in one of two Canadian battalions chosen to go to Hong Kong-the Winnipeg Grenadiers and the Royal Rifles of Canada. Jack spent 4 years as a POW in Hong Kong and Japan working at North Point, Tsurami, and Sendai. He learned to speak Japanese fluently. He struggled with fitting in for many years after his release on August 30, 1945. In 1985, the call for redress from Japanese Canadians caught his attention. He felt an affinity with their cause, his sense of fairness took hold and he pledged his support. He broke ranks from the other POWs. He was committed to fight racism in order to make Canada a better country. Dad did not allow his years as a prisoner of war to blind him to what was right. To us, he has served as an inspiring example of courage, magnanimity and integrity. To us, it is hard to let go of him. We will miss his warmth, his humor and his loveable habit of laughing at his own jokes.

A heartfelt thanks to Dad's companions Meritus and Vilma. To the staff at Weinberg for your kindness, care and for creating a home for Dad. Special thanks to Dr. Paul Malon for his honesty and guidance; to the Acute Care for Elders Unit at VGH and the staff in Ward 2B / UBC Hospital for treating Dad with respect and dignity; to Veterans Affairs for supporting and being concerned about Dad from the time his feet hit Canadian soil.

In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to the Vancouver YMCA, the Weinberg Residence or a charity of your choice. Thank you.
Vancouver Sun on 5/23/2006.