Ross was born in Raleigh on the northern peninsula and after high school attended teachers college for a brief period and taught school for a year. During the early 50’s he worked for the American Forces at St John’s, St. Anthony and Goose Bay. He tried his hand at banking, but eventually he ended up at the Radio College of Canada in Toronto where he did electronics At this time his wife to be, Myrtle Decker, was a nurse at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto Having offers of jobs in Ontario, he resisted the urge to stay there, and returned to his native province and over 40 years ago, came to live in the town of Clarenville as an employee of Canadian National Telegraph and later Terra Nova Tel

Ross accepted Clarenville as his hometown and quickly started making his contribution to the community in so many ways He was an active member of The Lions Club for a number of years He served on the Volunteer Fire Department and acted a Fire Chief for 5 years He was an elected member of the Town Council for three terms and played and active role in the Clarenville and Area Recreation and the Clarenville Minor Hockey Associations for a number of years He served on a number of boards of the United Church and was Finance Chairman of the Building Committee, when this church was built In more recent years he has been a member of the Masonic Lodge, and as well, played a leading role in the Communications Pioneers, and association of fellow communication workers These and so many more of his efforts demonstrate his genuine and untiring interest in doing something for others and his community

These tangible efforts however do not show us the true person that Ross was as Adlai Stevenson, a amous American statesman, once said of a deceased friend . “It is not the years you put into a life, but the life you put into your years” In his 3 score plus years, Ross was able to put in a tremendous amount His energy and work ethic, was augmented by a very clear philosophy of his life. I have heard him say on various occasions We are only here on a holiday, so enjoy life to it’s fullest and put into it what you can In his quiet, easy going and calm manner, Ross was able to influence others by the mannerisms that he exhibited Rarely frustrated, you could feel at ease in his presence and you could be sure that what he said or did were well thought out A famous writer once wrote that “Anything that one does, from cooking a meal, to governing a country, becomes a work of art if it is motivated by that passion for excellence and one as well as it can be” A satisfaction out of life Ross lived with such a passion

Those who knew him well, and he had a wide circle of friends, found him to be industrious and multi-talented He could turn his hand to so many activities and these talents were often used to help others in addition to his own family