Mary Rose Birchler

A native of Tell City, IN, Mary Rose Strobel Beavin Birchler was born Feb. 24, 1929 to the late Henry A. and Catherine (Eberle) Strobel.  She passed from this life on Nov. 16, 2021 in Nashville IN.

A graduate of the 1947 class of Tell City High School, she was active in drama and journalism from her early years, and on through much of her long life.  She was both lead actress and director of high school plays.  Mary Rose loved the written word.  It was in grade school that she first had a newspaper-published article, and later became editor of her high school school paper, The Marksman.  As a self-syndicated writer for over 30 years, her articles were published in three Indianapolis papers (Star, Times, and Post), three Cincinnati papers (Enquirer, Post, and News), The Tell City/Perry County News, Spencer County Journal Democrat, The Evansville Courier, Boone Magazine, The Criterion, The Catholic Telegraph, and many regional magazines in Indiana and Ohio.  She garnered frequent praise from Perry County news editor emeritus, Edgar Schergens.  A self-taught artist, some of her articles were self-illustrated.  Born the year of the Great Depression, Mary Rose’s knowledge of that era, and the World Wars featured strongly in her writings.  She was particularly in awe of her father, a WWI hero, writing several articles about him, and sharing her knowledge by speaking at nursing homes and veterans’ homes.  Mary Rose wrote often of her young life in Tell City, and these articles have been used in senior citizen centers to teach older adults how to write their memoirs.

She was a member of writers’ organizations in Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Albany NY where she was a guest speaker at Union College in Schenectady, as well as Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY.  Mary Rose was a presenter on panels at writers’ workshops in New York, Indiana, and Ohio.  Mary Rose enjoyed being a panelist at writers’ workshops with well-known book authors and movie scriptwriters.  In Cincinnati she had the opportunity to read some of her articles on the radio.

In her 40s, she was employed as a floral designer, her interest in flowers having started at her father’s side. 

She volunteered for 13 years at St. Paul’s Hermitage in Beech Grove, IN.

Mary Rose was an excellent cook and a highly talented seamstress.  Some of her culinary focus areas were:  elegant dining on a shoestring; down-home cooking, Chinese, German, and microwave cooking; and use of herbs.  Designing and making much of her own clothing, she also sewed formal dresses for professional women.  She was a master of elegant dining on a shoestring.  Her baking skills were learned as a child at her Aunt Carrie Eberle’s elbow (her mother’s sister) who was pastry chef at the William Tell Hotel in Tell City.  Mary Rose cooked and froze healthy and flavorful meals for herself into her 90s.

Mary Rose was preceded in death by her her husband John J. (Jack) Birchler; parents Henry A. and Catherine Eberle Strobel; her sisters Ann Wirthwein, Frances O’Brian, Dorothy Ferrando, her brother Henry Strobel Jr., niece Lisa Marie Strobel and a nephew, Mark Brockman.  She is survived by 3 siblings: Rita Brockman; Paul Strobel; and Carol Dauby.  Also 2 children from her first marriage to the late Samuel V. Beavin Sr.:   Samuel V. Beavin Jr. of Nashville, IN; daughter Angela C. Aumage (John) of Nashville, IN; also 3 grandsons, Nathaniel, Zachary, and Nicholas Aumage; 4 great-grandchildren, and 4 stepchildren, Mary, Donald, John, and Susan Birchler.

Friends may call at Zoercher-Gillick Funeral Home in Tell City from 3 to 6 PM on Sunday Nov. 21st and from 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM Monday. 

The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Tell City, Indiana at 10 AM on Monday Nov. 22nd.

 Memorial contributions may be made to your favorite charity or to St. Paul’s Catholic Church, Tell City, IN; Christian Appalachian Project; or The Water Project.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mary Rose Birchler, please visit our floral store.