Longtime Chandler native remembered
By Nathan Straus News Reporter

Rosa Cade

A sharing, compassionate woman, Rosa "Rose" Cade affected lives around her for the better.

She was born in Hollis, Oklahoma in 1910, and moved to East Texas in 1928. Her father owned an earth moving business, and when it moved to Tyler, so did she.

She was always a fantastic dancer, and a piano tutor of hers said she would have made a great pianist if it were possible for her to play with her feet.

Rosa met her lifelong husband, Jack Cade, following a visit to Chandler. Rosa befriended Alyne Thomas and one night, while being entertained at a traveling tent show, Jack sat next to Rosa. Alyne introduced Jack as her "country cousin". Jack had seen Rosa once before, and thought he had seen an angel.

They were married within the year, but the marriage was bound for an early strain in the form of the Great Depression.

Rosa had, before her pass- ing, talked about how she and Jack had nearly starved to death during the depression. They survived by hunting and gathering, living off the land.

The two joined the Chandler Methodist Church in 1930, where they were members for around eight decades.

Don Copeland, owner of Chandler Drug, said Rosa was simply a real good person.

"She made everyone happy being around her," Copeland said. "She was a great person, and a good cook."

Often the first to rise and last to sleep, Rosa worked many jobs in her life. From seasonal jobs such as packing tomatoes to operating a beauty shop in Tyler and Chandler to her most recent position as co-manager of Cades Cove Campground, Rosa did it all.

Those who knew her best described her as energetic and caring.

Copeland said Cade was always inviting people over to eat.

"She always liked to feed a bunch, always liked to have a crowd," Copeland said.

Funeral services for Rosa Cade were held Wednesday, April 9, at Chandler First United Methodist Church.

Though she has passed from the lives of those around her, she will never pass from their hearts.