The farmstead was renamed in 1985 to honor Deanna Sue Rose, an Overland Park police officer killed in the line of duty.

On January 26, 1985, Deanna died from injuries she sustained in the performance of her duty as an Overland Park Police Officer.

She had stopped a vehicle and was attempting to arrest the driver on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. She was fatally injured when the suspect knocked her to the ground and ran over her. She died two days later from her injuries.

Officer Rose is the only Overland Park Police Officer and the first woman officer in the state of Kansas to die in the line of duty.

Officer Rose received an award for valor posthumously from the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police.

Prior to working for Overland Park, she graduated Cum Laude from Wichita State University in Criminal Justice and had been a member of the San Diego County Sheriff's Office.

The Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead serves as a permanent and living reminder of Officer Rose's love for animals and her zest for life.