John W. Ross, 80, passed away peacefully at Norwalk Hospital on Saturday, October 8 with his devoted wife and daughter at his bedside. He was a resident of New Canaan for over 48 years before moving to Fairfield in 2014. John is survived by his wife of 55 years, Ellen (Jandovitz) Ross, his daughter Bonnie Judkins and her husband Mark, of Norwalk CT, his son Bill Ross and his wife Annette, of San Diego CA and his seven cherished grandchildren, Alec and Cole Judkins, and Natalie, Anna, Ingrid, Mia and Georgia Ross. John was born on Nov. 16, 1935 in Denver, CO to the late W. Braxton Ross Sr. and Martha Kirkpatrick Ross. He was also predeceased by his older brother, William Braxton Ross Jr. and his sister in law, Diane Gilmore Ross. In his teenage years, he was an avid skier, and also participated in football, baseball and soccer. He joined Boy Scouts and earned the rank of Eagle Scout. He was a graduate of East Denver High School and Williams College, where he was a member of the Williams ski team and Chi Psi fraternity. Upon graduating, he began working at Mutual of New York Life Insurance Company (MONY), where he met his wife. They married in September 1961. In 1968, the family, now including 2 yr. old son, Bill, moved to New Canaan, and in 1970 they welcomed daughter, Bonnie. Soon John was involved in many youth-related activities, including Indian Guides, East School activities, and youth sports. He was especially involved with Boy’s Baseball, coaching and serving on the Board for many years. Later he became more active with the football programs from Pop Warner to NCHS Rams, eventually representing the high school football program on the Sports Council. He was involved in renovating the stadium and press box at Saxe in the early ‘80’s, and in the construction of Dunning Stadium in the late ‘90’s. He supported the New Canaan Summer Theatre program in the 80s and 90s, as well. Through family and friends, John became an active volunteer with the Town Players of New Canaan, as well at the New Canaan Nature Center. Through the years, he worked on renovating his home, reawakening his passion for working with his hands and being outdoors. In 1979, he retired from MONY and became an independent contractor, which was a more satisfying career for him, and as he got older, it eventually led to a third career as a House Inspector. In 2000, John retired in order to help more with his granddaughters, both at home and travelling across country. In recent years, John was active with the Senior Men’s Club, where he especially enjoyed tennis, paddle tennis, golfing and regular coffee meetings with his pals. Always supportive of his grandchildren’s activities, he devoted his time to attending any and all concerts, recitals, band competitions, and sporting events in which they were involved. John was a family man who loved spending time with his wife, children and grandchildren. He had a great sense of humor and an easy smile. He had a strong sense of integrity, was kind and generous, and most of all, honest. "To honor John's wish to not be remembered with sadness, calling hours to celebrate his life are between 1:30 - 5pm on Sunday, October 30, 2016 at Waveny House in New Canaan." In lieu of flowers, contributions in John’s memory may be made to a local community charity of one’s choice.