Rose Marie Aycock of Terre Haute, founder of Covenant Cooperative Ministry and beloved wife of Michael Aycock, went home to the arms of her loving God on Thursday, December 19, 2013. She was a mother to five children, grandmother to eight, and great-grandmother to one, all of whom she adored and cherished. She will be remembered by thousands in the Wabash Valley as the person with a heart and a hand for those in need of lifting up. Through Covenant Cooperative Ministry, she gave dignity, hope, and the good news of the love of Jesus to countless people who came through those doors in the past eleven years. Love and energy radiated from her, and her sense of humor was infectious. That love was expressed in the many tons of food and household goods that were distributed, the wonderful seasonal programs like the Angel Trees, social programming, a listening ear, and a giant heart. Though lost to us here, her love and empathy live on as a challenge to those who will pick up her mantle and continue her work, like those volunteers who have made this year's Angel Tree Christmas a match for any in the past, where no child was ever missed. A graduate of Indiana State University, Rose worked as a nurse before serving in multiple agencies as a social worker and counselor. But her dream was always to reach out to those in need with some of the love she felt from God. As few of us ever do, she lived her dream. Rose is survived by her husband, Michael Aycock; children, Angela Hutchins, Ricardo Tobias Hutchins, Maria Hutchins, Ricardo Antonio Hutchins, and Ricardo Benjamin Hutchins; grandchildren, Ricky Hutchins, Alex DeLuca, Zach Miller, Caleb Poole, Javen Hutchins, Chelsea Huffman, Alexis Hutchins, and Olivia Poole; great granddaughter, Kennedy Huffman; and sisters, Shirley Vandiver and Julie VanValkenburg. She was preceded in death by her father, Wilbur Thatcher; step-father, Thurman VanValkenburg; mother, Flora Gordon VanValkenburg, and sister, Susan Lloyd. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 A.M., Friday, December 27, 2013 in Callahan & Hughes Funeral Home, 605 S. 25th Street with Pastor Tracy Hamilton officiating. Burial will be in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. Visitation is scheduled prior to services on Friday from 9:00 - 11:00 A.M. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Rose Aycock Fund at any Terre Haute First Financial Bank.
