John David Ross

On March 31, 2020, just when the world really couldn't afford to lose a source of remarkable wisdom and gentle kindness, Dave Ross died at the age of 83.

Born to Marie (Flanagan) and William Ross in Detroit, John David "Dave" moved with his parents and beloved big sister Jane to Cleveland. He graduated from Gilmore Academy and John Carroll University.

Dave had a fulfilling and successful career in the insurance industry, serving as an executive in product development and marketing for New York Life and then Nationwide Insurance. He achieved a number of professional designations, with an impressive alphabet soup of acronyms that followed his name until he shrugged them off with modest humor upon retirement.

Dave was the devoted father of Bill (Cari), Erin (Kevin), Mike (Holly), and Jim, who predeceased him last year. When Dave married Mary Connolly 36 years ago, he also gained a stepdaughter, Kelly (Kevin). His beloved grandchildren Cooper, Nina, Nicholas, Brandon, Ryan, Preston, Michael, Kevin and Aidan were a source of joy, and their visits were much anticipated.

Dave and Mary met at a party where they felt an immediate connection. Married in 1984, together they experienced adventures on the high seas, with sailing trips around the world - from the South Pacific to the Chesapeake Bay, and treasured the friends with whom they traveled. They also enjoyed trips to Ireland with their children. In 1990 they moved to German Village and discovered a whole community of like-minded people. The culture of working hard on civic projects and then partying to celebrate the successes was spot-on for Dave and Mary. The friends, events, dinners, debates, and deep sense of community they found in German Village shaped the following three decades. Dave leaves his cherished Mary to the care of these remarkable friends.

Dave was grounded in a faith, that at its core, was deep-rooted in the expectation of good things to come. But it went beyond hope. While much of hope lives in the mind, Dave's faith was steeped in the heart and the spirit, and he never expected to understand life's mysteries through a single dimension. The Newman Center at The Ohio State University was an ideal place to nourish that faith, which he did through his many years of training lectors and serving as a Eucharistic minister.

It is wonderful to be able to note that Dave experienced making a hole-in-one at the Chagrin Valley Country Club as a young man, and had the great joy of shooting an 80 in his 80th year; he lunched and laughed with three different ROMEO groups (Retired Old Men Eating Out); he loved mystery books, and had an amazing laugh that came easily. As a neighbor once noted, "When you were hugged by Dave Ross, you knew you had been hugged."

But most importantly, through his lifetime of 83 years, his extraordinary kindness became a rock upon which everyone who knew him rested and trusted.

We will honor that lifetime, when circumstances allow, with a celebration worthy of the occasion a celebration with Dave Ross-style hugs.

In lieu of flowers, donations in honor of Dave can be made to the Mid-Ohio Food Bank, www.MidOhioFoodBank.org or the Columbus Pet Rescue, www.ColumbusPetRescue.com