Rose Qualls Bishop

Rose Qualls Bishop died January 23, 2022, in Bee Cave, TX at the age of 88. She was born Rose Merle Qualls on April 18, 1933, in Washington County, Arkansas. She was one of four children born to Ambrose and Della Napier Qualls. In 1947 she would meet Alton Ray Bishop while he was on leave from the Navy in Brownwood, TX. They were married the same year in Port Arthur, Jefferson County, Texas. They had four children, Barbara, Gary, Debbie, and Jerry. Ray and Rose were married for 63 years until Ray’s death in 2009.

Ray and Rose started their family in Nederland on the Texas Gulf Coast and would remain there until 1966. While living in Nederland, Rose began a successful career as a hairdresser. She continued her career after they moved to Kingsland, Texas where she opened her business, Merle’s Beauty Shoppe.

Rose was the quintessential matriarch of a home filled with music, laughter, and fellowship. Faith was the foundation of the Bishop household, and Rose was heavily involved in various initiatives with the church. In, 1978 Rose and Ray answered a calling to serve others and made their way to Monterey, Mexico. Outside of the city in the mountains Rose and Ray built small churches for small pueblas, where sermons were previously listened to under the shade of mesquite or oak trees. They loved the people of Mexico and the impact of change they catalyzed and lived there for several years. They would make their way back to Kingsland and continue to raise their family, and watch their family grow as Rose became a grandmother, and then a great grandmother.

In 2005 Rose and Ray moved to Rockport, Texas in Aransas County to get back to the Texas Gulf Coast. After four years of enjoying retirement and a slow pace of life together in Rockport, Ray passed of Alzheimer’s Disease. Up until the end he never lost the memory of his “beautiful wife.” Rose remained in their Rockport home where she lived a full life as an active, healthy octogenarian until August 2017 when Hurricane Harvey forced her to return to the Hill Country. She returned to Travis County to be with family where she lived until her death.

Rose was an avid reader especially of the Bible, loved to crochet and knit, and always had a beautiful garden. She will be remembered for her perfect blue eyes, her jovial and witty humor, but most of all for her selfless disposition of serving others and her family always before herself. Her genuine nature of kindness and the purest form of love was evident, whether it was shown through a fresh baked cobbler, a homemade quilt for all of her grandchildren, or through the unending support she would provide to her family when she wanted to “sit down and visit.”

Rose was preceded in death by her husband Alton Ray Bishop, parents, Ambrose Qualls and Della Napier Qualls Dent, brothers, George W. Simmons, John Melvin Qualls, and Marvin Cleo Qualls; sisters, Debbie Bishop Feild, Nola Geneva Simmons Miller, Leona Gertrude Qualls McGee, Dora Anita Qualls Matthews Leamon, Grandson, Cory Dow Stovall,  Mother and Father-in-law, Lola Lee Lane Bishop & James Meda Bishop, Sisters-in-law, Laverne Elizabeth Bishop, Mary Jo Kelly, Joyce Bishop of Brownwood, Samanthey “Pete” Allen Simmons; Brothers-in-law, Bill McGee, J. Lee Ensor, Oral Dean Bishop and several nieces and nephews.

Rose is survived in death by her sister, Delma Qualls, Ensor, daughter, Barbara Bishop Lawrence (David), sons Gary Ray Bishop (DeeAnna), Jerry Leonard Bishop, Grandchildren: Tracie Stovall Patterson, (Todd) Jenifer Lyn Stovall Osbourn (Jeffrey) Angela Bishop-Abeyta, Lucas Bishop (Kristyn), Justin Grant Feild (Alexandra), Trent Ray Bishop (Anne) Great Grandchildren: Patrick Hagen Patterson, Nicolas Chase Patterson, Hailey Rose Osbourn, Hannah Leigh Osbourn, Kaitlyn Marie Hernandez (Palmgren), Jacob Kent Palmgren, Noah Ray Bishop, Olivia Bishop, Titus Jarrod Bishop, Paige Leigh Feild, Brooke Emery Feild, Logan Grant Feild, Noah Bishop, Scarlett Bishop and a host of nieces and nephews.

Family-only services* for Rose Merle Bishop will be Saturday, January 29, 2022, at 10 a.m. at the First Baptist Church of Rockport, 1515 N Live Oak St, Rockport, TX 78382. Interment will follow at the Rockport Cemetery, 2040 Tule Park Dr, Rockport TX 78382. Memorial contributions can be made in Rose’s name to The American Stroke Association, (https://www.stroke.org/ or 1-888-478-7653) or a favored charity.

*Due to CDC guidelines, and for the safety of our loved ones and friends we are limiting the funeral and graveside services to family only. We encourage any family members who are ill and or at-risk (e.g., elderly, immune-compromised) to stay home. We ask that family members who attend follow CDC guidelines for social distancing, hand hygiene, covering cough and sneezes.