Rose Hall

(From Parker Mortuary)

Rose Marie Hall, 81, of Joplin, died at 4:28 a.m. Monday, September 30, 2019 at Freeman Hospital after a 14-month battle with cancer.

Rose was born Dec. 26, 1937, in Joplin to Jack Orlie Keen and Lola Mae Henbest Keen. She worked 19 years at the former DeTar Clinic as an insurance clerk and 30 years at St. John's Medical Center as a patient accounts secretary and risk manager. She was an expert on Medicaid and Medicare rules and had taught classes on that at Franklin Technical Center. She retired in 1996 but worked part-time for St. John's until 2008.

She was a devoted mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Christian and a member of Forest Park Baptist Church. She enjoyed studying her Bible and serving as a Sunday School teacher or assistant. She loved children and liked to foster reading skills, volunteering in the church's youth program, Awana Club. She also was a volunteer at the church Mission House.

She liked to do genealogy and worked to document the history of her families, the Keen family, from Fayetteville, Ark., and the Henbest family of Cassville. Rose was writing a book about the experience of the Henbest family during World War II based on a journal her grandmother, Mollie Ennis Henbest, kept and letters from her sons who served, the youngest killed in action.

Rose and her late husband, Donnie Hall, who died Feb. 2, 1998, had lived on a hobby farm at Racine for many years where they kept a variety of animals including German fallow (miniature) deer, boer goats, birds including peacocks and pheasants, llama and horses.

Rose is survived by three daughters, Debby Woodin and Teresa Baker, of Joplin, and Shelley Walters, of Neosho; a granddaughter, Nicki Thurman of Neosho; a grandson, Robert Walters, of Neosho; and four great-grandchildren, Tanner, Amber, Spencer and Skyler Thurman of Neosho; a sister, Jackie Barnhart, Tunica, Mississippi; an uncle, Leon Henbest of Carl Junction; as well as cousins, nieces and nephews and her church family.

Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Forest Park Baptist Church Chapel, on the north side of the building. The Rev. John Swadley will officiate.

Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Parker Mortuary. A later burial service will be held at New Salem Cemetery.

Contributions may be made to Forest Park Baptist Church for the children’s ministry.