Marie Rose Luebbert Bacon

Marie Rose Luebbert Bacon, died Tuesday, May 7, 2019 after years of defying expectations, smelling roses, walking on the sunny side of the street, living her faith and inspiring everyone who knew her. She was born in 1917 at Meta, Mo., the fourth child of Stephen and Christine Schanzmeyer Luebbert. She was raised on a farm with no electricity, no running water and no indoor toilet. What she did have were parents she adored; three brothers, Raymond, Henry and Francis; and sisters, Clara, Dorothy and Florence, who preceded her in death but her memories of them and her childhood in Meta were never far from her mind. She never could recall the inconvenience of an outdoor privy or the lack of running water nor hot summers and cold winters without air conditioning or heated bedrooms. She left the farm in 1934 during the depths of the Great Depression to travel to St. Louis for surgery to save her leg from the ravages of a bone infection. It was during her stay in St. Louis that she was given a Miraculous Mother of Mary medallion by then Archbishop John Joseph Glennon who was later elevated to Cardinal by Pope Pius XII. She wore the medallion every day of her life following the successful surgery as her acknowledgement to what she considered a miracle and the admonition from Archbishop Glennon that she would live a long life and raise a beautiful family if she believed in the Blessed Mother. During the nine months she was confined to a fracture bed she did not see her parents and was unable to attend Mass. Once recovered from surgery she relocated to Jefferson City where she met her future husband, Robert Lafayette Bacon of Linn, Mo. They were married in 1939 but only after Bob converted to Catholicism. Robert died in 1965 following a lifetime of illness but not before they produced six children who all survive: Mary Frances Gelber (Philip), LaMesa, Calif.; Richard Robert (Jeane Dulle Bacon), Ballwin, Mo.; Thomas Kurtis (Janis Hager Bacon), Cascade, Idaho; John Henry (Kathleen Hurley Bacon), Montgomery, Ill.; Lawrence Joseph (Elizabeth Abernathy Bacon), Brighton, Mich. and Daniel Paul (Theresa Pierron Bacon), Kansas City, Mo. She was also blessed with 20 grandchildren and 37 great-grandchildren. After the children left her nest she began her second career in 1976 at the age of 59 as housekeeper for Bishop Michael Francis McAuliffe for the Diocese of Jefferson City. Upon her retirement in 2006 at the age of 90 she focused on providing baked goods and other kindnesses to neighbors and others who no longer could fend for themselves. In 2011 with her vision failing, she moved to Ballwin, Mo. to live with her eldest son Richard and his wife Jeane. She described her years with Dick and Jeane as a life of luxury where she was pampered and doted upon by two very special people and their children. In March of 2015 her family regretfully moved her to an elder care facility where she died peacefully knowing she was loved and admired by all who knew her. Marie Rose was a remarkable person by any definition. She leaves behind a legacy of faith, optimism and above all, love and understanding. We will miss her every day. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Marie Bacon Scholarship Fund at Helias High School or Immaculate Conception Parish. Friends will be received from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 18, 2019 at Immaculate Conception Church. Mass of Christian Burial will follow immediately with Msgr. Robert A. Kurwicki officiating. Interment will be private for the family. Arrangements are under the direction of HOUSER-MILLARD Funeral Directors, 2613 West Main Street, Jefferson City, MO 65109, (573) 636-3838. Condolences may be left online for the family at www.millardfamilychapels.com.