Thank you for your loving friendship, sweet Rose. I will miss you so.
“…She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed…Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate…” Proverbs 31:25-31
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FOR ROSE
If there’s one thing I think our dear friend and colleague Rose Ernst would like to be remembered for is that she loved to serve. Whether it was for God, Texas, or others in general, with her beautiful heart and genuine, caring spirit always in the forefront, serving was at her core.
I met Rose when I first started working in TERP in 2019. It was pre-COVID, so we were still in the office at that time, and all I knew of her was that she was the sweet lady that sat in the North Wing cubicle C835 next to Bill Clark and Heidi Clausen. Always working diligently in her cube and keeping to herself most days, she was quiet and dedicated. I’d occasionally say hello as I’d pass by, always receiving a quick, sweet smile from her, but not yet knowing the ‘real’ Rose and the impact she’d eventually have on me.
In time, I’d learn that her days serving TCEQ began at the Midland location in 2007 working in the Field Operations Division. In 2012, she found her way over to Austin, starting in Radioactive Materials, transferring to Water Quality Planning in 2015, and then TERP in 2018 as a contract specialist on the Contract Management Team. Surviving a few office reorgs, she eventually moved over to the Fiscal Team and, finally, the Project Management Team, which was where I had the opportunity to get to know her better. As a new contract specialist, I was green and nervous in learning a new set of skills, and Rose was experienced and kind—two very appealing qualities to a rookie. She was always available and no matter how difficult the task was, I’d end up not only feeling good about my abilities, I’d also feel good about myself as a person. She was patient, encouraging, optimistic, and would often share inspiring words of wisdom for me to ponder throughout my day, which would essentially help me put everything back into perspective and stress just a little less. But, I knew I wasn’t the only benefactor of her sweet gifts. I’d hear similar stories from others in the division of her kindness and her dedication to our mission, of her wanting to participate in creating a better world in whatever way she could. I’m certain there are more that I don’t know about.
The last few years seemed to be more difficult for her as she struggled with the ongoing changes and rapid growth of our division, but she never wavered in her kind spirit and desire to serve. This was most evident in our weekly online team meetings when, after business was taken care of, we’d spend the last few minutes engaging in team building exercises and share a little about ourselves and our lives. When it was Rose’s turn, the ‘room’ always seemed to get a little more quiet as she’d wrap up her response with some sage advice about remembering to “be kind to one another” and “take care of each other.” She had her priorities straight and she wanted to make sure we did too. We could hear the love and years of experience in her tone, which made us all take it that much more seriously. We will miss those little proverbs dearly.
Just before Christmas of last year, Rose shared with me her retirement goal of finding another way to serve. She wanted to eventually become an ordained minister and start an online business providing counseling and guidance to folks in need. Oh, how successful I know she’d have been. Although she never had the chance to realize that dream, I hope she’s looking down on us all right now, realizing how much she impacted all of our lives and how her service to God, the State of Texas, and all of us was more than enough.
Be kind to one another, take care of each other.
~Beth Fernandez
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