Rose Josephine Mueller

Rose Josephine Mueller died peacefully surrounded by family on March 12, 2025, on her 89th birthday, at Ballinger Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center.

Rose was born on March 12, 1936, in Granger, Texas to Annie Dobias and Vaclav Mokry, the fifth of nine children. Her father, a Czech immigrant, was a tenant farmer so her family often moved to find work and eventually settled in Rowena, Texas. Growing up in a Czech-speaking household, Rose learned English when she started grade school and developed a strong work ethic from a very young age. After school each day, she and her siblings helped in the fields—picking cotton, hoeing weeds, and tending the vegetable garden.

Rose married James Mueller on July 1, 1954, in Rowena, and they enjoyed 62 years together until his death in 2016. They lived in Ballinger throughout their marriage and were blessed with nine children – seven girls and two boys. She was a devoted wife and mother that always weathered adversity with grace and resilience. A devout Catholic, Rose demonstrated her faith every day through her actions and service to her family and the community. She was a loving person -- kind hearted, non-judgmental, and generous to everyone she encountered. She was also an unwavering caregiver to her aging parents and took special care of her older sister, Irene. Even as Rose's health declined, she seldom complained and never stopped being grateful and sweet to everyone that cared for her. Until the end, she radiated a positive light -- greeting everyone with a smile.

Throughout her life, Rose was an active member and volunteer of St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church. She was a gracious hostess who enjoyed entertaining friends, playing Bridge and Spades, tending to her rose bushes, and traveling abroad with James. She loved to go antiquing and collect treasures for her home, and to share them with her children.

Rose is survived by her children, Peggy Freeman (Jimmy) of Ballinger, Christine Thomas (Rocky) of San Angelo; Nancy Tucker of Burleson; Janet Browning of Bartlesville, OK; David Mueller (Bertha) of Bronte; Judy Moffett (Mark) of Ballinger; Kerri May (Walt) of Sweetwater; and Gina Budd (Scott) of Austin; daughter-in-law, Tammie Mueller of Ballinger; sister, Helen McGinnis of Abilene; sister, Angie Lockwood of Fort Worth; brother, John Mokry of Euless; and twenty-five grandchildren, thirty-five great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild. Rose was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, James Mueller; her son, Steven Mueller; her daughter-in-law, Anna Mueller; her son-in-law, Mark Tucker; her grandson, Kevin Mueller; her great-grandson, Gavin Thomas; and her siblings, Alice Quicksall, Wesley Mokry, Mary Ann Pearson, Irene Mokry, and Raymond Mokry.

Pallbearers include her grandsons, Stephen Freeman, Matt Freeman, Zac Busenlehner, Adam Busenlehner, Jake Snell, Jonathan Kennedy, Todd Mueller, James Moffett, Keith Moffett, Whitley May, and Max May.

A visitation and rosary will be held at the chapel at Lange Funeral Home on Friday, March 14. Visitation is 5:00 - 6:00 pm, followed by the rosary at 6:00 pm. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 am on Saturday, March 15 at St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church with interment following at Evergreen Cemetery. A reception and luncheon will follow at the St. Mary’s Fellowship Hall. We would like to express sincere gratitude to Rose’s loving caregivers, especially Angela Mueller, Susie Bryan, CeCe Wheeler, Cinthya Rose, and the caring staff at Ballinger Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made in Rose's name to one of the following: Ballinger Cares, P.O. Box 802, Ballinger, TX 76821; St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church, 605 North Fifth Street, Ballinger, TX 76821; or the Carnegie Library of Ballinger, 204 N. 8th Street, Ballinger, TX 76821.