Andrew D. Rose

Andrew D Rose was born in March of 1999 in Edgewood, Kentucky. Andrew loved life: his biggest love in life was family, particularly his two young daughters. His daughter Maible was born in 2019, and Elizabeth in 2022. He cherished every moment with them and had so many future adventures that he planned to take them on. He was actively planning their summer activities and outings for this year, looking forward to teaching them to read and swim.
He was blessed with the opportunity to travel and live in many places throughout his short life, but when asked where ‘home’ was, he would usually say Mexico. He moved to San Juan Cosala, Jalisco, Mexico on the shores of Lake Chapala in 2005. There, he attended elementary and junior high school. It only took him about 6 weeks to become fluent in Spanish, and he continued to use that skill all his life. He moved to Imperial, CA in 2012 where he started high school at his dad’s Alma mater. Much against his will, he moved to Papillion, NE for his senior year, graduating in 2016. For his graduation gift, he took off on an adventure with NOLS, spending a month hiking in the Alaska wilderness. His aviation career started in high school, as he spent his summer vacations fueling and loading a crop duster for his dad during the summer spray season in Hastings, Nebraska. After high school, he started off in a welding program but found the classroom setting just did not fit his style at that time in life. After working as an auto mechanic for a Honda dealer and Zigs Off Road, he decided that the path back to his ultimate destination, Alaska, was to become an aviation mechanic. He had dreams of Alaska from the moment he started his NOLS trek and never lost sight of that. He knew that as an aircraft mechanic, there was bountiful opportunity in the Alaskan frontier. However, he wanted to get solid experience in his chosen career first. So, after graduating from Lake Area Technical College with an Associates degree in Aviation Maintenance as well as FAA Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) mechanic license, he joined the wonderful Fargo Jet Center team in North Dakota. The last three weeks of his life were filled with activity and changes. He graduated May 16. He moved to Fargo on May 21. He started work June 2. He took his final ride on his 2015 Indian Scout on June 7, 2025. He had learned to ride motorcycles at the age of five. He loved that Scout, gifted to him by his paternal grandfather, Larry Rose. It had been out of commission for a couple of weeks, and after making the necessary repairs, he went for a ride that he never came home from.
At their young age, his daughters’ understanding is limited. Rest assured, they will grow up knowing how much he loved them. We are confident that he left this world knowing that his family and friends loved him beyond measure, especially his two little princesses.
He is survived by his parents (Dale and Michelle Rose), two brothers (Patrick and Oliver Rose), his two daughters (Maible and Elizabeth) and their mothers (Corrinna and Jayme), two grandmothers (Patricia Rose and Robin Pitts), and fur baby CJ. He was preceded in death by many grandparents and great grandparents who knew him as a young child and loved him dearly.
A Celebration of Life Memorial service is being planned for a future date in the Fall of 2025.
In lieu of flowers, Andrew’s family request that if your heart desires or you feel compelled, Andrew would be honored to have donations made in his name to the Lake Area Technical College Foundation to be used in furtherance of an aspiring aviation maintenance technician. Memorials may be directed to the LATC Foundation, PO Box 730, Watertown, SD 57201, or made online at https://www.lakeareatech.edu/foundation/make-a-gift/