Aldine Aaron Rosser, 95, of Hannibal, Missouri, formerly of Tifton, died Monday, April 21, 2008, at Beth Haven Nursing Home in Hannibal, Missouri. Graveside funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 26, 2008, in Oak Ridge Cemetery with burial to follow in Oak Ridge Cemetery.
Mr. Rosser was born on April 2, 1913 in Henry County and was the son of Omer G. Rosser and Nancy G. Jeffares Rosser, both deceased. He was also preceded in death by his wife, Hazel; a twin brother, Adron Rosser; his sister, Lorene Rosser; and grandson, David Rosser Athman. He spent his childhood in Cairo. He married Laura Hazel Williams on September 26, 1942. He received a B.S. degree in Education from the University of Georgia and served as an officer with distinction in the United States Navy during World War II in the Pacific Theater, where his ship was sunk by a Japanese Kamikaze pilot. Mr. Rosser was a life-long Methodist, a community worker, and a mbmer of the Rotary Club. He received the Paul Harris Fellowship Award from the Statesboro Rotary Club.
Mr. Rosser began his career as a teacher and then assistant superintendent of public schools in Tifton. Following World War II, he became a self-taught administrator of Tift County Hospital and devoted the next 36 years to the health care field. In 1954, he was elected president of the Georgia Hospital Association. He then served as the administrator of Warren Candler Hospital in Savannah in 1956, and became the administrator of Kennistone Hospital in Marietta in 1961. Mr. Rosser then worked for the Medical Center of Columbus. After retiring in 1977, he accepted the position of assistant administrator for Bulloch Memorial Hospital in Statesboro. He was the administrator of the hospital from 1978 until he retired on March 31, 1985 and was given the title of Administrator Emeritus. While in Statesboro, Mr. Rosser was instrumental in the development of the B.S./R.N. nursing program at Georgia State University. Mr. Rosser moved to Hannibal, Missouri in 1998, after the death of his wife.
Mr. Rosser is survived by one daughter and son-in-law, Dolly N. and Bruce Athman of Hannibal, Missouri; grandsons, Jason Athman and his wife, Jennifer, of Saint Louis, Missouri, and Michael Athman of Washington, D. C.; and great grandson, Benjamin Athman of Saint Louis, Missouri.
Memorials may be made to the American Diabetes Association.