Obituary of Rose Ann Allison

Rose Ann Allison, 69, passed from this life on July 6, 2020, at the Layhill Rehabilitation Center in Silver Spring, Md., the result of complications following cancer surgery in November and subsequent radiation therapy. She had been hospitalized or confined to rehabilitation centers since April 20.

Born in Bowling Green, Ohio, in 1951 to Raymond and Gladys Allison, Rose graduated from Bowling Green High School in 1969 and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from Wilmington Collegein 1973. She then moved to Washington, D.C., where she met her future husband, Paul Verduin, in 1974.They were married in 1979 at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. They resided in the early years of their marriage in Takoma Park before moving to Silver Spring, Md. In 1990 they celebrated the birth of a son, Jacob A. Verduin, who brought a deep and special joy to their marriage and life together as a devoted family.

Environmental safety was the focus of Rose’s long and successful career. After working at the Nature Conservancy in Washington, D.C., Rose was hired by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Her career there spanned nearly 42 years prior to her death, primarily within into the Chemical Control Division’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), where she served as a section chief and, later, a team leader

Throughout her life, Rose’s artistic talents and sensibilities were expressed and shared in many ways. To the delight of family and friends, she was an avid gardener and landscape artist. The flowers she loved in her gardens often inspired the paintings she created as a talented watercolorist. She lent her beautiful soprano voice to church choirs and resumed piano lessons in 2019 to further refine her musical talents. At the time of her death, she was an associate member of the Rockville (Md.) United Church and a member of Saint Luke Lutheran Church in Silver Spring.Although not gregarious by nature, she cared deeply about her family and friends, and her gentle graciousness will be missed and remembered by all who knew and loved her.

In addition to her husband and son, she is survived by her siblings: Ruth Beaupre of Bowling Green, Ohio; Paul Allison of Fostoria, Ohio; and Jane Allison, also of Bowling Green. Cremation has occurred and Rose’s ashes will be buried at a later date in the Verduin family plot at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Lansing, Ill.