Rose Lavender was born in Pimlico, London, England on 29 August 1886, to parents William Richard and Ellen Frances Barber. As a young adult, she worked as a dressmaker in London before moving to Canada with her parents and younger sister in 1907, settling in the rural Hamilton community of Dundas. In 1908, she married Thomas Lavender, a tailor and custodian, and had three children with him. In 1922, she moved with her family to Niagara Falls, Ontario. Her daughter, Phyllis O’Neil, died in 1942, and her husband, Thomas, died in 1967.

Lavender lived alone in her apartment until breaking her hip at the age of 100, which forced her to move into a nursing home. Her hobbies included sewing, knitting, crocheting, singing, league bowling, and playing the mandolin. At the time of her 106th birthday, she was said to be healthy and active, and took no medication, although her hearing and sight were poor.

Rose Lavender died at the Greater Niagara General Hospital, on 1 February 1998, at the age of 111 years, 156 days.