John Thomas Ross

July 28, 1934 - July 22, 2018
It is with great sadness that we announce that our dad, John Ross, passed away peacefully on July 22, 2018 at Vernon General Hospital. John was surrounded by his children and grandchildren who loved him very much.

John grew up in Trail, BC, where he was active in sports, particularly hockey, baseball and golf. He qualified as a teacher in 1959 and shortly afterwards moved to Kamloops to start his career. A dedicated educator, he gave freely of his time both in the class room and as a coach to the school teams. 

It was in Kamloops that he met the love of his life Joy, and where they started a family. After teaching in Kamloops he taught for as short while in Burnaby. The draw of the interior was strong however, and John, Joy and now a family of three children moved the Okanagan where John taught in both Kelowna and Armstrong. John became a principal and ultimately Superintendent of the Armstrong School District.

John continued to be active in the sports he loved, as a coach of his son Tom's hockey and baseball teams, and as a senior basketball referee who was an integral part of the provincial basketball championships at KSS for many years. John and Joy also fully embraced all that the Okanagan offered and spent many happy times at the family cabin on the lake and skiing up at Silver Star.

Aside from his family, John's greatest passion was the game of golf. He was a long time member of the Vernon Golf and Country Club, where he was a regular fixture. Both John and Joy were Club Captains and were fully involved in the club and organizing its many tournaments and activities over the years. 

Sadly, Joy predeceased John on July 14, 2010. Her loss was felt intensely by John who missed her dearly.  John is survived by his son, Tom of Vernon, daughter Cori of Whistler, daughter Cindy (Dave) of Sechelt, grandson Jared of Surrey, and granddaughter Cassandra (Tanner) of Vancouver.

The family would like to thank all the caring people at Kimberlee's Support Services, the Hamlets and the kind doctors and nurses at Vernon Jubilee Hospital.

A celebration of John's life will be held at the Vernon Golf and Country Club on Sunday, August 5, 2018 at 3:00 pm.

Additional Photo(s):