William "Will" Ross

William J. "Will" Ross passed away peacefully at home in Marietta, Georgia surrounded by his family and friends on March 9, 2015. He leaves behind his loving wife, Nancy Heape Ross and son, Peter Ross. Will also leaves an extended family of mother, Karen Stark of Sarasota, FL, father, William M. Ross of Jacksonville, FL, step father, Tim Stark of Sarasota, FL, step mother, Jamie Ross of Jacksonville, FL, sisters, Dana Sherlock of Ventura, CA and Breanna Ross of Jacksonville, FL, brother, Malcolm Ross of Dunn Loring, VA, brother in law, Steve Sherlock of Ventura, CA, and sister in law, Tahn Ross of Dunn Loring, VA. Will was born April 10, 1973 in Greenville, SC, graduated from Riverview High School in Sarasota, FL in 1991 and Vanderbilt University in 1996 with degree in Mechanical Engineering. Will was a patent agent with Hunton & Williams Law Firm in Atlanta.

Will was an amazingly loving and caring father and husband. Will and Nancy were married in October 21, 2011 in a traditional Scottish celebration with family and friends. On their honeymoon to Hawaii Will was stricken with a near fatal seizure. He was stabilized and flown home to Atlanta to begin his difficult fight against cancer. In 2012, after completing radiation treatment, Will and Nancy returned to Hawaii to complete their honeymoon and on May 23, 2013 they were blessed with the birth of their son Peter.

Will was a lover of science and science fiction. Will was an avid Star Wars and fantasy literature fan. His appreciation for creative storytelling and building his own worlds was a testament to his appreciation of openness and acceptance of all people of varied backgrounds and cultures and interests. Will visited Skywalker Ranch in California last year to fulfill so many of his childhood dreams and hear his brother in law's band record at the music studio.

He was also a lover of many other fantasy genres and an avid game enthusiast. He was the dungeon master of a Dungeons and Dragons game that he ran with friends for many years. We’d like to send him off the way we always played games and told stories together: Will has ascended this plane of existence to join the Gods, old and new, and take his place among the honored dead.

Will’s friends and family mourn the loss of a tremendous father, brother, husband, nephew, friend, engineer, and dungeon master. Will was a vibrant, caring, generous, thoughtful, and loving person who lost a courageous battle against brain cancer and was taken away from this world too soon. We all love him and will miss him deeply.

The family is grateful for the love and support they have felt throughout Will's journey. They request that in lieu of flowers donations be made to Will's favorite charity, Childs Play Charity at www.childsplaycharity.org.

Memorial Services will be held on Saturday the 14th of March at eleven o'clock at H.M. Patterson & Son Arlington Chapel,173 Allen Road, Sandy Springs Ga. 30328. Friends are cordially invited to visit with the family from ten o'clock until the hour of service at the funeral home.