Derek Jansen Rose

Derek Jansen Rose, 50, unexpectedly passed away at his home in Morrisville, North Carolina, on Monday, December 29, 2024.

Derek was the first of three children born to Vicki Rose (Grimes) and Ralph Preston Rose of Raleigh, North Carolina. He was born on December 22, 1974, in Cleveland, Mississippi. At the age of 12, he made his profession of faith and was baptized at Pineview Baptist Church in Pikeville, NC.

He completed his freshman, sophomore and junior year at Acadia High School in Lafayette, Louisiana. He made many lifelong friends and was a member of the school's soccer team. In 1993 he moved to Garner, North Carolina, and graduated from Garner Senior High School.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Computer Science degree from East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. He continued earning certifications throughout his career in Networking, Project Management, Information Technology, and Computer Programming.

After graduating from high school, he moved back to Louisiana. He worked in the Seafood Department of Winn Dixie Grocery Store and was known for making hot, spicy crawfish. Also, that's where he met his future wife, Kourtney Valin, who worked in the Floral Department. They married on November 22, 1996, surrounded by friends and family. A wedding guest commented that they looked like the perfect couple to be on top of a wedding cake. After marriage, they were both employed by KMDL FM Radio Station in Lafayette. Derek was a popular radio personality working as an on-air disc jockey. He recorded commercials for local businesses and won several awards. Kourtney worked as the radio station's receptionist. On March 8, 1999, Derek and Kourtney welcomed their only child, Zoe Sierra Rose. Her birth announcement was broadcast live on the local news channel.

When Zoe was eight months old, Derek moved his family to North Carolina to accept a job at IBM. Kourtney was employed as a receptionist at Smith Barney Investment Firm. Derek lost his wife, Kourtney, on December 18, 2008. Derek and Zoe lived in Angier, North Carolina, until 2012 when they moved to Cary, North Carolina, where Derek worked as a contract employee for several computer companies. He was employed as a project manager for Cisco Systems Corporation in Research Triangle Park, NC. He also hosted Trivia Night at Brewster's Pub and McGregor's Tavern in Cary, NC. He attended Music trivia for fun at JD's Tavern in Apex, NC.

Derek had a keen sense of humor, a genuine love of learning, and a willingness to accept diversity and explore things from a different perspective. He has been a rock to many, a master at sarcastic humor and witty timing to others. Once you were marked as important to him, you were his friend forever. He enjoyed listening to all genres of music, except country. He also enjoyed spending time with his family and friends, attending music concerts and stand-up comedy performances, growing fruits and vegetables to share, and playing video games online with friends. Derek and Suchita Shewale, his next-door neighbor and coworker, were in a loving, long term relationship with plans of marriage. He loved animals, especially his cats, Ava and Louie and his dogs, Charlie and Peanut.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 12 years, Kourtney; his maternal grandparents, Ernest and Elise Grimes; his paternal grandparents, Joe and Corinne Rose; his sister-in-law, Alisha Valin; and his aunts, JoAnn Cox, Carolyn Grantham and Jewel Allday.

Derek is survived by his daughter, Zoe Rose Duffie and her husband, John Blake Duffie, of Apex, NC; his parents, Ralph and Vicki Rose of Raleigh, NC; his brother, Dustin Rose of Angier, NC; his sister, Ashley Rose and her husband, Lance Neisz, of Raleigh, NC; his nieces, Isabella Rose and Preston Rose Neisz; his nephews, Elijah Rose and Lee Michael Neisz; his fiancé, Suchita Shewale of Morrisville, NC; his aunt, Azelie Jones and her husband, Paul, of Grenada, MS; his uncles, Paul Rose of Duck Hill, MS, Alex Allday of Gore Springs, MS, and Johnny Grantham of Jonesboro, AR; his parents in-law, Tom and Jennifer Huckaby of Krotz Springs, LA, and several first cousins.

Everyone who knew Derek found him to be an extremely kind, intelligent, loving, gentle and peaceful person, who loved his family very much. He was a deeply beloved father, son, brother, uncle, cousin, coworker and friend. But his greatest and proudest role was that of Zoe's father.

His funeral service will be Saturday, January 4, 2025 at 4:00 pm in the Bryan-Lee Funeral Home Chapel, 1200 Benson Road, Garner, NC. The family will receive friends following the service in the funeral home until 6:00 pm.

A service of Bryan-Lee Funeral Home - Garner.