Raymond Wesley Rose III, a biology professor at Arcadia University, lost his battle to ALS disease on January 3rd. Rose, also a former deacon and member of the Carmel Presbyterian Church in Glenside, was diagnosed when he was 33. It was then when he decided to make it a life mission to educate others about ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). Wes Rose later went on to become a board member and spokesperson for the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the ALS Association. He traveled to several organizations, corporations as well as universities to speak about ALS. He did whatever he could to get the word out there and to raise money for AlS research.

Wes, a graduate of Abington High School in 1990, received his BA in Biology from Franklin and Marshall College in 1994. He graduated from Thomas Jefferson University in 1998 with a MS in Biomedical Chemistry. He was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania in 2003 with a major in Biology and Doctor of Philosophy. Rose did his post-doctoral training at the Fox Chase Cancer Center.

Dr. Rose’s wife, Kelley Herbert Rose, said to Philly.com, “He taught us all about living with purpose and about making a difference in the world around us,” she said. “He was a loyal, devoted, and tenderhearted husband. He was a very proud father of his boys and was always the passionate fan on the sidelines of his sons’ sporting events.” The couple who married in 1998, have two sons, Aiden 13 and Nathan 16.

There will be a visitation held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 26, at the Carmel Presbyterian Church in Glenside. There will also be a service and celebration of life  at the Keswick Theater at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27th. The Burial is private. More information can be found at the site of John R Freed Funeral Home.