Beloved mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, Rose McKeown died at Legacy Village after a brief illness. She was one of twelve born to Myrtle and Fred Cates of Cushing and was the last to pass away at age 105. She was married shortly before World War II to Edward Dale McKeown of Cushing. During the war Dale worked as a civilian Naval Procurement Officer in California. The family returned to Oklahoma in the late 1940's and settled in Tulsa.

Rose was a devoted mother to Carson, Mary and John while running an efficient household. She came from a family of strong values and was raised during the Depression, so thrift was ingrained in all she did. When the children were older Rose took an interest in a clothing store in Tulsa. This led to a move to Stillwater in the 1960's where she opened her own store, McKeown's Showcase. She was active in the downtown Stillwater merchants association until retirement at age 71.

Dale passed in 1995 and firstborn, Carson (Olga) passed away in 2018. Survivors include daughter Mary Ellis, son John (Karen) McKeown, grandchildren Debora (Tom), Zack Dickerson, Jen McKeown and Erinn (Dustin) Poe; great grandchildren include Brooke, Border, Teddy, Sam, Hailey, Jordan and Cale. She also cherished her dear nieces, nephews, special friend, Suzanne Alford Wade and friends who left before her.

Rose had the strength, courage and ambition to prevail over most of life's problems. She expressed unbounded hope with the often said phrase, "Tomorrow will be a better day." It almost always was.

Prior to services, the immediate family will have a private burial at Fairlawn Cemetery in Cushing. Funeral services will be held at the First Christian Church, Stillwater at 11:00 AM, on May 31st, 2025, followed with a reception in the Fellowship Hall at the church. The family appreciates the care from Legacy Village of Stillwater, CompleteOK Hospice and Strode Funeral where you may share memories of Rose at www.strodefh.com.


In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to First Christian Church, Stillwater, Oklahoma, or to Fairlawn-New Zion Cemetery, Cushing Oklahoma.