Rose Marie Macan, 72, of Shawnee, KS passed away January 31, 2026 at Villa St. Francis. The visitation will be from 9:00-10:30 a.m. with the Funeral Service at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, February 6 at the Porter Funeral Home, 8535 Monrovia, Lenexa, KS. Burial will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery, Shawnee, KS. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Great Plains SPCA.
Rose was born on December 3, 1953, to Margaret (Zarda) and Albert DeMeese in Kansas City, Kansas. She grew up on the old Zarda Dairy in Merriam, Kansas. As the youngest of three by eight years, she was doted on by her older sister, Dolores, and brother, Buddy (Albert). Rose attended St. Joseph High School in Shawnee, Kansas, where she was the Highlights newspaper editor, a role she thoroughly enjoyed. She remained passionate about quality journalism throughout her entire life, an avid consumer of PBS programming and NPR.
After high school, Rose attended UMKC pharmacy school, graduating in 1975. She worked in hospital pharmacy for almost her entire career and recently celebrated her 50th year reunion with classmates. Rose started her career at Menorah Medical Center and retired from Research Medical Center in 2020, working primarily in the oncology unit. Rose’s pharmacy acumen was unparalleled. She was respected by physicians and nurses for her ability to problem-solve and offer solutions to mitigate drug interactions and provide the best care for patients. Undoubtedly Rose helped to save many lives. Rose was known for her mentorship of new pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. She was committed to sharing her knowledge and helping new members in the field.
Rose was passionate about cooking and baking, and she enjoyed making treasured family recipes, including dumplings, reitnones (a German potato pastry with apples), latzerns, and chili sauce. Her other hobbies included gardening and yard work, bird watching, Royals baseball, and bowling. Rose found great joy in the companionship of her cats and dogs; she treated them as members of her family.
Rose also loved to listen to music and attend live music concerts. In her later years, she attended concerts by the Eagles, Bob Seger, James Taylor and Jackson Browne.
Rose married Francis (Frank) Macan in October 1983, and they had two daughters, Kate (Tim and son, Frankie) and Molly (Justin and daughter, Hope). She is preceded in death by her husband, sister, parents and grandbaby, Walker.
Of all her roles, Rose most loved being a mother. She devoted her time out of work to raising her two girls. She spent countless hours coaching them and cheering them on at volleyball and softball games.
Rose will be missed for her intelligence, humor, and compassion. She always looked out for the little ones and those on the margins. Rose had a strong sense of justice and equity, something that her daughters will carry on in her memory. We love you and miss you already, mom.