DONALD CAMPBELL ROSS

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DONALD CAMPBELL ROSS We are so sad to announce that Don passed away on Saturday, August 16, 2014 at the age of 78, at the Brant Centre Long-Term Care Residence, where he spent his last days after suffering a heart attack. He leaves behind his beloved wife of 54 years, Shirley; his son Don Jr. and his wife Nelleke of Cape Town; his daughter Lynn and her husband Jeff of Burlington; his grandchildren Steven, Amy (children of Lynn and Jeff) and Jennifer (daughter of Don Jr); and his great-grandson Dyllan Warner. He will be missed by his niece Shirley Proskin and her husband Allan of Winnipeg and their children Abby and Wyatt, and his nephew Jeffrey Younger of Vancouver, as well as his many good friends and former fellow work colleagues, and his "grand-dog" Tessa. He was predeceased by his mother Florence Margaret Ross. Dad was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He began his career as a Chartered Accountant there at Thornton, Milne & Campbell in 1953. TM & C merged with Price Waterhouse in 1955, and Dad was with Price Waterhouse for the rest of his career. He was transferred to Toronto in 1964, and moved to Burlington in 1973 after being made a Partner in the Hamilton office. He was the National Risk Management Partner in the Mississauga office from 1992 until his retirement in 1998. As recently as February of this year, Dad was one of two partners elected to represent retired partners regarding pension investments. Dad was proud of his Winnipeg roots, and he and the family returned there often while Don Jr and Lynn were growing up; so we all still think of ourselves as partly Winnipeggers. Dad still enjoyed telling people how to drive in snow based on his experience of "real winters" in Winnipeg! He was a member of the Burlington Golf & Country Club, where he enthusiastically curled and golfed for over 40 years. He leaves behind many good friends from both sports, and played his final round of golf only a few weeks before his death. We are especially thankful that his Saturday morning golf buddies were able to help him continue golfing through this last difficult summer. Don and Shirley spent a lot of good times at the BG & CC and forged life-long friendships there. A baseball fan, Dad cheered passionately for the Dodgers as a young man but the Blue Jays won him over in the early 80s and held onto him ever since. The background track to many family memories is baseball commentary and crowd buzz from the TV and the radio. We would like to thank everyone at the Brant Centre for their care and compassion, both during his final days and over the past two years in supporting him while they and he cared for Shirley. A special thanks is also extended to his home caregivers, especially Alec, who helped him so much during his last 10 weeks when he could no longer manage on his own. In accordance with Dad's wishes, cremation has taken place. Service of Remembrance will be held at SMITH'S FUNERAL HOME, 1167 Guelph Line (one stoplight north of QEW), BURLINGTON (905-632-3333), on Wednesday, September 3, 2014 at 1p.m. All are invited. Donations in Dad's memory to the Heart and Stroke Foundation or The Alzheimer's Society would be appreciated by the family. www.smithsfh.com

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Aug 23, 2014