A Man of God devoted to the study and proclamation of the Word of Truth. While he walked this earth his ultimate goal was to bring the Good News of Jesus to all he came in contact with. When he first came to San Bernardino his heart felt the tug for the lost within this city. He would drive around town and see people walking down the street and I can remember his words so vividly, "God these people need Your Son Jesus in their lives." So for the next 30 years Poppa was on a mission to win the lost to Jesus here in San Bernardino, California!
Poppa began his ministry here in San Bernardino by going to the streets and the parks; he would preach forth the Word of God with absolutely NO FEAR! I remember as a young boy I would listen to dad as he would preach and I would think to myself,” I want to be just like him someday!” He was my hero; the one I always thought could never do wrong.
After being here within San Bernardino for a short time, Poppa became the head Pastor at a small church on the North End of
San Bernardino; he named the Church "Our God Reigns Fellowship." While he was there he continued to reach out to the community as a whole. Giving food to those who needed it and doing whatever it took to get the Name of Jesus lifted.
While being here in this town, over the years Poppa helped at multiple churches. Helping in any way he could but with the ultimate
goal in mind as always, WIN THE LOST FOR JESUS!!!
On Thanksgiving morning in the year of 2010 Dr. Charles Ross Sr. suffered a Massive Heart Attack; this was the moment that everything
changed within his life. We all had gathered together for Thanksgiving dinner and we thought Poppa had maybe gotten some type of food poisoning, because all of his symptoms appeared to be such. So over the next two weeks Poppa began to gain weight rapidly and his breathing was becoming very labored and weak. So Momma had called me and told me that Poppa did not look well. I then came to see him immediately to see what was going on. I remember I walked in and Poppa was sitting in his chair, he was so swollen and his clothes were barely even buttoned closed. I immediately began to pray for him and afterwards told him it was time to go to the hospital because it appeared something was horribly wrong. Of course Poppa refused, even with us all pressuring him to go. So I told Mom he had until tomorrow or I was going to force him to go. So the next day Poppa did what we had requested and finally went to the ER. From that moment forward Daddy’s life would forever change.
Over the next eight months of Hospitalization, Poppa died four times and the last time he coded it was for 48min. The Doctor took us into a room
and told us that he would be like a baby from this time forward and would have brain damage as well. I remember something just fell into my spirit
and I looked at the Dr. and told her, “science has done what it could do; now it is time for The Great I Am to be the true Physician.” I went into my
father’s room and knelt down by his bed and I remember praying in a way I had never prayed before. That night I knew I had moved God with my prayer. I then left his room went home to get cleaned up and headed back to the hospital, as I came around the corner to enter into his room I saw the most beautiful thing I had ever saw. Poppa was sitting up in the full right position writing and trying to communicate to Momma and my sister, he was fully alert and fully aware of his surroundings. God had done what we had asked; he had stabilized Poppa and brought him back to us. I remember the very Dr. that had told us earlier that it was pretty much over walked into his room and tears began to flow down her cheeks,
she looked me square in the eyes and said, “Truly God has heard all of your prayers for this is IMPOSSIBLE!”
After his fight in the Hospital for eight months I, his son, had the Honor and privilege to care for my Poppa for the next two and half years.
The road was not perfect and it was not easy but God kept my Poppa strong to endure for much longer than what all of the Doctors expected. He came off of Dialysis, he was able to walk at least a good twenty steps with only less than 15% of his heart and he could hold a conversation for a good amount of time before becoming winded. Up until the last week of his life he was even able to bathe himself with assistance in his own shower.
Poppa had been through much and had overcome so much as well, but on May 2, 2013 Poppa had come to the end of his fighting. He had been overtaken by two infections that he just could not fight off this time around. Poppa was tired and it was time for him to lay down his armor and let Jesus soothe his weary soul.
As I came into his room that morning I had a sense it would be my Poppas last day on this earth but as usual I got his medications ready took all of his vitals and got him resituated in his bed . I then got all of his Meds down him slowly and gently. It was time then for his breathing treatment . I got it all set up and began his treatment as planned. As he was lying there he woke up and looked at my mother and told her he loved her with everything he had. Then he looked at me and told me he loved me so much. Then all of the sudden his eyes opened wide and I felt a Holy Holy presence enter the room and chills went down my spine as I began to see the color change in his face. I removed the face mask and looked at him and said “ok are you ready to go home Poppa?” Because at that instant I knew it was beginning. I called my mother over to him and said hold his hand momma. I called my wife and my sister and told them to get to the house now. I looked at Poppa and said just wait a few more minutes so everyone can say goodbye and he began to breath pretty regularly again and a bit of color came back to him. My wife and my sister then arrived and began to say their goodbyes. I opened the bible to his favorite chapter found in John chapter 14, I began to read aloud and the color began to leave his face again and his breaths became shallow. My mother, wife and sister began to weep as we all felt the Holy Spirit come into that place. I then turned to the scripture that declares Jesus said;
I AM THE RESSURECTION AND THE LIFE HE THAT BELEIVETH IN ME THOUGH HE WERE DEAD YET SHALL HE LIVE...
At this moment he took one last breath and released his soul into the hands of the Great I Am. I will forever be thankful for those last few moments
as I was allowed the honor of speaking out the Word of God as he left this world and entered into the Rest of the Living God!!!!!
Amein v'Amein today is a day of rejoicing!!!!
Dr. Charles E. Ross Sr. “ZT”L” (d.2013) is survived by his loving wife Deborah Lynn Ross. His two children: Dr. Charles (Hezekiah) Ross II and Deborah Abigail Rodriguez. Along with eight grandbabies: Joshua Ross, Seraiah Ross, Jesse Ross, Abby Simms, Lilly Simms, Jose Rodriguez Jr., Joseph Skinner and Coral Simms.
“May the memory of the Righteous be a blessing”
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18