Rose Lee Tom, a long-time resident of Moraga, California, died Monday, January 24, 2022 in Gilroy, California from problems due to heart and kidney failure. She was 94 years old.

Rose was born in Oakland, California on March 11, 1927, the youngest of four children and the only one of the family to be born in the United States. She attended schools in Oakland and graduated from Oakland Tech High School in 1945. She next attended UC Berkeley and received her Bachelor of Science degree in January, 1949. While at Cal she met her soon-to-be husband John, an engineering student who had just been discharged from the Army. They were married on Easter Sunday in 1949.

Rose and John raised their family in Oakland and she became very active in their sons' school. She would help in the classrooms, driving students on field trips and even teaching the class the art of Chinese paper folding. She served as a Cub Scout den mother and joined the Jefferson Elementary School PTA where she was president for many years. In 1996 the family moved to Moraga, CA where she continued as a school volunteer. Rose became involved in other community activities by joining the Femineers (a group of wives of civil engineers), the Scottish Rite Ladies Club, and, with several friends, founding the Moraga Garden Club. She served as president of all three. She was active in the Moraga Historical Society, volunteered at the Moraga Library and served as an elder at Moraga Valley Presbyterian Church. Rose also found time to pursue hobbies such as knitting, sewing, and reading, and was particularly proud of her beautiful garden. After her sons had both graduated from college Rose got her real estate license and worked for many years as a realtor. With John she has traveled around the world on land and ship cruises, visiting all continents with the exception of Antarctica. In 2019 she and John moved into Merrill Gardens, a senior community in Gilroy CA, to be nearer to her eldest son Larry.

Rose is survived by her husband John, her two sons Larry and Russell, daughters-in-law Kathy and Susi, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

A celebration of Rose's life will be held at the Moraga Valley Presbyterian Church, 10 Moraga Valley Ln, Moraga, CA 94556, on Saturday, March 5, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. Donations can be made in her honor to the Moraga Garden Club, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society or Moraga Valley Presbyterian Church.