Felicita "Feli" Ross

She was born or December 7, 1924 in Mizzana, a small town in northern Italy. She grew up in Ferrara and Bologna, with her father Aristide, her mother, Silvia, and her older brother, Nico. Feli excelled academically and developed a deep interest in languages, as well as an aptitude for science and mathematics. This was a difficult time in Italy, since the Great Depression was followed by political turmoil, and then World War II, but through it all she maintained her goals and academic interests. One of her heroines while growing up was Marie Curie, and this drove her to obtain a Doctorate degree in chemistry from the University of Bologna, the oldest university in the world. Her primary love, however, was languages, and she also worked at Berlitz teaching classes and translating in English, French and Italian, while completing her degree.

Shortly after graduating, she met and married her beloved husband Joe, an American working Western Geophysical Company, helping launch the company's petroleum exploration program in Italy. They lived in Italy for 12 years and had three sons, Joe, Paul and Steve. This was a wonderful time for the whole family, taking long vacations at the beach and in the mountains and traveling throughout Italy. However, knowing that the family would eventually move to the United States, Feli also made sure that the boys were fluent in English and taught them from American elementary textbooks during the summer, so that they would be able to transition to American schools without interruption, when the time came.

The family moved to Shreveport, Louisiana in 1963, and thanks to Feli's preparation, the children were able to quickly adapt to American life and American schools. During this time, Feli made use of her knowledge of languages, teaching high-school French and Latin at Woodlawn High School in Shreveport. The family then moved to Houston in 1969, and Feli began working for Berlitz again, teaching classes and translating. She eventually took over the Berlitz translation department and made it so successful that the Berlitz headquarters in Princeton asked her to explain her secret to the other translation department heads. Her secret was her drive and determination to succeed, however, which is not something that can be easily duplicated. In 1980, Feli formed her own translation business, AE Translations, which was so successful that it became one of the largest translation companies in the United States. Joe eventually retired from Tenneco, and they worked together at AE Translations for many years.

Eventually, Feli and Joe settled on a farm in Brenham, Texas, spending many happy years there and creating a wonderful environment for the enjoyment of their children and grandchildren. They were extremely devoted to their family, and were continuously planning projects and improvements to make this an interesting world to be explored and enjoyed by the family.

Feli was a wonderful mother and wife, and she will always be remembered for her devotion to her family and her drive to succeed at everything she did. She was preceded in death by her husband Joe and is survived by her children Steve and wife Karen, of Richmond, Texas, Paul and wife Bemily, of Kentfield, California, Joe and wife Karen, of Georgetown, Texas, her grandchildren Joe, Sarah, Kat, Paul, Jimmy and Elaine, and her great-grandson Ben.