Dayton Chronicle - Your Hometown News Source

Verla Ernestine Rouse

October 17, 1918–December 10, 2020

Verla Ernestine Rouse, age 102, passed away peacefully at home in Dayton, Wash., on December 10, 2020. She was born on October 17, 1918 near Peck, Idaho, the youngest of five children born to George Oren Stevens and Julia Matilda Johnson. She graduated from high school in Kooskia, Idaho in 1939 and attended beauty school in Waterloo, Iowa.

Verla married Joseph Edward Rouse on December 17, 1941. They had two children, Audrey Lynn (1944) and Wayne K. (1948).

In 1949, Ed and Verla purchased the City Cleaners dry cleaning business on Dayton's Main Street. They expanded the business to include clothing alterations and installed the coin-operated laundromat next door. Verla was a very talented seamstress and a sewing 4-H leader. Ed and she welcomed a local teenager, Vicki Tewalt (Eslick), into their family in 1959. Verla was a member of Eastern Star and the Dayton Methodist Church.

After Ed suffered a debilitating stroke in 1975, they sold the business and moved to Prosser, Wash. Ed's failing health precipitated a move to Pasco in 1984. He passed away in March 1985.

Verla was known to all as an exceedingly kind, generous and loving woman. She was very active in her church and quite adventurous. She toured the Holy Lands in 1990 and participated in a mission trip to Sucre, Bolivia in 2000. She enjoyed riding the Amtrak train between Pasco and North Dakota to visit her son and his family. Verla was always very stylish and physically fit–participating in aerobic exercise classes well into her 80s.

Verla moved back to Dayton in 2011 to be close to her daughter's family and enjoyed meeting new friends in the Eagle Manor apartment complex. She lived with her daughter and son-in-law from 2017 until her death.

Verla was preceded in death by her parents, siblings, husband and son.

She is survived by her daughter Audrey Eaton (Wilbur) of Dayton, four grandchildren (Tanya Eaton (Gene) Patton in Dayton, Travis (Swan) Eaton in Kennewick, Wash., Mike (Tammy) Rouse in Minot, N.D. and Debbie Rouse (Dan) Ferguson in Ray, N.D., 11 great-grandchildren and five great-great grandchildren.