Gainesville Rose Society President Passes Away

Hello Friends,

It is with profound sadness that I notify you of Ralph Stream's (Gainesville Rose Society President) passing last night [March 3rd, 2026] about 10:50pm at Shands Trauma ICU in Gainesville. Most of you know that he went to Shands on February 2nd with pain and complications from his 2011 pancreatic cancer surgery. After a fight for his life and two major operations, his body had had enough. Yesterday he knew he would not recover and he said he was ready to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Lord took him peacefully.

I want to thank each of you for your love and prayers and especially your friendship toward him in this lifetime. Your friendship has been a blessing to him and will continue to be for me in the days ahead. He will be cremated and a memorial service will be held at some point in the future.

Please keep me and our family in your prayers for now.

Thank you so much.
Love,
Jean Stream and our Family

President's Message - March 2026

Hello to all GRS members and friends:

Ralph is still in Shands Trauma ICU and unable to put together his message for you. He asked that I let you know he misses you all and is trying his best to get better and heal. He thanks each of you for pitching in and keeping everything moving along. Thank you for your prayers, cards and concerns. Everything is appreciated and is a blessing. - Jean Stream

Reminders from your VP – Jean Giesel

We need to remind everyone that Daylight Savings Time begins on the day of our meeting, March 8. Bring family, friends, and neighbors. Speaker is Michael Johnson of David Austin Roses USA, of Tyler, Texas. “The presentation will focus on David Austin Roses and is designed to be informative and engaging for both experienced and newer rose growers.”

We are scheduled to have access to the room at 1:30, so we need some help setting up about 40 chairs. I will arrive early to start setting up the literature table for Dan.

We will not have our usual raffle since we will be giving out door prizes at the program.

On April 25, we will be at the Millhopper Branch Library with our Roses for Everyone program. We'll be welcoming people of all ages to participate in rose activities and learn more about growing and appreciating roses. It's also a good time to get to know our fellow rosarians better. We will start setting up at 10 a.m. when the library opens.