Rosa Mae Balthrop, age 95 of Chapmansboro, Tennessee passed away, Friday, September 5, 2025, at the Residence of Alive Hospice in Nashville, Tennessee.
A memorial service will be held at Mallory’s Church, 4330 Thomasville Rd, Chapmansboro, Tn at a later date to be announced.
Ms. Balthrop was born on May 18, 1930 in Cookeville, Tennessee to the late Robert Leslie & Pearlie Ina Frey Gibson. She served as a secretary at the Cheatham County Agriculture Extension Office and Pleasant View Elementary School for numerous years. She was the matriarch of a long line of Balthrop children and grandchildren. Her life was marked by hard work, dedication to her family, and a beautiful zest for life and all that it brought. Rosa was the faithful and fierce wife of the farmer, Howard Balthrop. From making cornbread and turnip greens, helping strip tobacco-Rosa Balthrop was the quintessential Tennessee woman. Gardening was another one of her interests, and she possessed a profound faith in God. Her life revolved around her children, grandchildren, and most notably, her husband, with whom she shared nearly 60 years of marriage until his passing in 2008. They exchanged vows on October 30, 1948, in Franklin, Kentucky, and are now reunited in the arms of Jesus. She was a devoted member of the Hilldale Church of Christ in Clarksville, Tennessee.
In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her husband, Howard Balthrop; sister, Winnie Kessler; brothers, Carl “Hoot” Gibson (Alberta) and Willard Gibson; and granddaughter, Katherine Rose Davis.
She is survived by her son, Harold “Clay” (Pat) Balthrop; daughters, Connie (David) Holman and Cheryl (Derek) Noe; brother, Robert (Maryanne) Gibson; grandchildren, Jason (Trish) Balthrop, Adam (Sabrina) Balthrop, Amanda (Chuckie) Darnell, Stephanie (Jason) Flannery, John Holman, Sam Davis, Grace (Kevin) Wallace, Mitchell Noe, and Myles Noe; and six great-grandchildren.
If so desired, memorial contributions may be made in Ms. Rosa’s memory to Katherine Rose Davis Scholarship at Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, 3421 Belmont Blvd, Nashville, Tn 37215 or Alive Hospice, 1718 Patterson St., Nashville, Tennessee 37203.
AUSTIN & BELL FUNERAL HOME in Pleasant View is in charge of these arrangements. 6316 Highway 41A, Pleasant View, Tennessee 37146 (615) 746-4433 www.austinandbell.com
