Rose VanArsdel

Rose VanArsdel, beloved mother of Elizabeth VanArsdel and Jonathan VanArsdel, passed away on April 21, 2019 in Bryan, TX.

A business woman and patron of the arts, Rose was born in Elizabethtown, IL on August 30, 1928. Elizabethtown is located on the Ohio River in southern Illinois where her mother's family owned and operated the Rose Hotel, a small hotel in that was frequented by barges and steamboats in the years after the Civil War, when river travel was the primary means for moving goods and services in the midwestern US.

She was the daughter of Virginia Rose Gullett Price of Elizabethtown, IL and Robert Lee Price of Paducah, KY. Rose spent her youth in Carbondale, IL, received her Bachelor's degree in Piano Performance from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, and her Masters from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, also in Piano Performance. Rose loved playing the piano throughout her life. Prior to moving to Bryan/College Station in 1968, Rose lived in Madison, WI and Minneapolis, MN.

Rose VanArsdel was the quintessential supporter of all things musical since her arrival in the Brazos Valley. She was a key individual in the establishment of the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra in 1981. She was a Charter Member of the Brazos Valley Symphony Society (BVSS) and was instrumental in establishing the Friends Association of the Symphony Orchestra (FASO) in 1984. In 2009, Rose was awarded the title of Lifetime Honorary Member of the Brazos Valley Symphony Society---the highest honor the Society can bestow.

In 2018 Rose received the Patron Award of Excellence from the Texas Association for Symphony Orchestras, a statewide award in honor of her work in support of orchestral music in the state of Texas.

Rose supported KAMU-FM & KAMU-TV, the Brazos Valley Chorale, the Aria Society of the Santa Fe Opera, the Arts Council of Brazos Valley, Concerts on Carter Creek, OPAS, the University Summer Performance Series, and she was a valued Trustee of the James Dick Foundation at Round Top.

Rose was a Certified Financial Planner and a Senior Vice President at UBS Wealth Management in Bryan and was a member of the Bryan Business Council.

Rose spent many years as a member and elder, and served on the Board of Trustees of the First Presbyterian Church of Bryan.

Rose is survived by her brother, Robert Grant Price of Columbia, South Carolina, by her children, Elizabeth VanArsdel of Santa Fe, NM and Jonathan VanArsdel (Luz Maria) of Albuquerque, NM. She was predeceased by her husband Melvin Friedman.

Life Celebration services will be held on Saturday, May 25, 2019 at 2 PM at First Presbyterian Church of Bryan.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in memory of Rose to the Brazos Valley Symphony and the First Presbyterian Church of Bryan.