Obituary of Neva Beth Rock

Neva was born on July 4, 1942 in San Antonio, Texas. During this time, her parents, William and Bessie Holub were living in San Antonio because William was serving in the Civil Service William’s military service took them to Corpus Christi, Texas where her brother Harry was born in July, 1943. In 1944, they returned home to Morning Sun, Iowa and lived with Bessie’s parents for a while. From there, they went to Cleveland, Ohio where General Motors was building aircraft during World War II. William worked on instrumentation panels of the aircraft, and Bessie raised Neva and Harry. It was during this time that William and Bessie met Roy and Nellie Rock, who had a son named David who was 10. In 1945, the family returned to Iowa where her sister Myrna was born in 1951. In 1952, the family moved to Bellflower, California and William went to work with North American Rockwell. Neva attended school with her brother Harry in Downey, California. Neva was a very serious student and got excellent grades. She loved to draw and paint and was a beautiful artist. She took piano lessons and became an accomplished pianist. In 1959, David Rock was serving in the United States Army as a Medic in Korea. While he was on military leave in California, he came to visit William and Bessie, remembering that he and Neva were just children when their parents met in Cleveland. Neva was in high school, and it was love at first sight when they met. They were married on September 9, 1960 in the back yard of the family home in Bellflower. For a while, both Dave and Neva worked at North American Rockwell; Neva worked in the Administrative Office until Ellen was born. Ellen Marie was born in 1961. Daniel David was born in 1964. Dale James was born in 1967. Laura Ann was born in 1968 Neva’s life was fulfilled by being a wife and mother. The Rocks and “pebbles” lived in LaMirada, Orange, and Chino Hills, California. The children attended school in Chino Hills. Their lives included camping trips, weekend drives just to explore, visiting their Carlile cousins in Flagstaff, Arizona, and many family gatherings. Neva was a wonderful cook. Thanksgiving and Christmas were often spent enjoying the snow in the mountains. Neva would cook the entire dinner, then pack it up to be enjoyed picnic style in the mountains. Dave’s mother, Nellie Rock lived with the family for several years, and Neva cared for Nellie. This gave the children an opportunity to know their grandma well. Neva taught a Christian Bible Class at the children’s elementary school in Chino Hills. She was very knowledgeable of the Bible and loved sharing the love of Jesus with children—and adults. She also worked in the school cafeteria for several years which gave her the opportunity to see her children during their school day. After the children were grown, Dave and Neva bought a motor home and made several trips across the country exploring the beauty of the United States. Sometimes Dan went with them. They traveled to Colorado to be with Harry and his daughters Melanie and Megan. They camped in beautiful places along the way and visited friends and family on their farms in Ohio and Iowa. In 2005, Dave passed away suddenly due to a fall. After the loss of Dave, Neva began sharing her beautiful piano music with residents of an assisted living facility in Chino Hills. She also assisted with child care at her church on Sunday mornings. In 2014, she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson's is a progressive disorder that causes tremors and loss of movement making simple tasks impossible. Neva became unable to stand or walk, and as the disease progressed, she slowly lost the ability to do anything for herself. Neva lived with this debilitating disease with such grace and kindness toward all who cared for her. Sometimes she spoke of looking forward to her new body. Now she has gone on to a better place and we know that she is at peace. Neva is survived by her four children, Ellen, Dan, Dale and Laura; her six grandchildren, Nora, Joe, Christian, Justin, Kaitlyn and Derek; her two great grandchildren, Madeline and Raelynn; and her sister, Myrna. Services were entrusted to the care of Lietz-Fraze Funeral Home. Thoughts and condolences can be sent to the family at www.lietz-frazefuneralhome.com.