Obituary of Charlie Ross

The sun rose on the life of Mr. Charlie "Chuck" Ross on September 8, 1942 in Miami, Florida when he was born to John A. Ross, Sr. and Mamie Respess. The seventh of thirteen children, he had four brothers; Joe, Charles, James and John Jr. and eight sisters; Georgia, Laura, Pearl, Addie, Lubertha, Patricia, Verna and Evelyn. A happy and jovial child, he loved having fun and dancing in contests. A special memory was when he and his brother Joe and friends could go to the store to buy "Big Jack" cookies. They would climb the coconut tree in the front yard, crack coconuts, eat the cookies, drink the coconut milk and drop the hulls into the yard. Sometimes they would even fall asleep. Educated in the public school system, Chuck graduated from Northwestern Senior High School in Miami. He continued his education, earning a Bachelor Degree - Stationary Engineering while he served in the United States Air Force. Chuck proudly served his country in the Air Force from 1960 to 1969. He was stationed in Okinawa, Japan, Wright Patterson AFB - Ohio, Sheppard AFB - Texas and multiple tours at Lowry AFB - Denver, Colorado. He was honored for "Outstanding Staff Sergeant" (several times), and received many Leadership, Management and Counseling Awards. His final rank was Staff Sergeant and he was given an Honorable Discharge from the government and a grateful nation. In 1965, Chuck was united in marriage with Nellie Ann Wright whom he met at Denver City Park. The couple exchanged their vows at the home of their friends, the Washingtons. Their marriage was filled with church outings, vacations, driving to Yellowstone National Park and work picnics at Lakeside Amusement Park. To this union were born two daughters, Deidre and Denise. The girls remember drives and picnics in the mountains, Chuck teaching them and their friends how to dance, and the backyard College Graduation Party when he tried to embarrass Denise in front of her friends. After the death of his first wife, Chuck was united in marriage with Annie S. Mabry on August 3, 1986. With this union, he became the loving stepfather of Don, Dean and Muhtalar. The couple loved family celebrations for life, birthdays, love and happiness. They also enjoyed traveling through the States and the Bahamas. His stepsons remember Chuck always being very supportive and enthusiastic about anything they wanted to do. He would encourage them with "Anything you want to do, I believe you can do it." They have fond memories of Christmas Day and the fun Chuck had watching all the children. "He always had batteries and his reading glasses handy incase there was "some assembly" required." A very private man, the children all knew when he said he loved them it was something special. His grandchildren, Kristina, Jonathan, Eric, Hillary, Angel, Jaz, Sadie, Anya, Justice and Don remember "Papa Chuck" with great affection. Eric remembers, "I was sick at school in the first grade and was sent home. Papa Chuck picked me up and took me to his house. We watched movies, ate soup and slept until Dad got off work." He loved them dearly as they did him.A man of faith, Chuck attended Scotts Methodist Church, New Hope Baptist Church and Heritage Christian Center for many years. By profession, he was a Stationary Engineer and Utilities Manager. He was employed with Rocky Flats in Broomfield, Colorado for over 20 years until his retirement. In his free time, Chuck enjoyed family, friends, Casino hopping and dancing to 60's and 70's Motown Music. His best friends, Oneida Little, John Brown and Essie Thomas loved him for his laughter and fun loving spirit. His favorite color was blue, he liked Philodendron plants, Motown and life in general. Two of his favorite expressions were, "I love my girls" and "You can do anything you set your mind to do." Financially astute, he taught many of his nieces about investments. His ability to make others laugh, his jovial personality and his love of family will be deeply missed by everyone who was blessed to have shared time with this joyful, wonderful man. To know Chuck was to love him. The sun set on the life of Mr. Charlie "Chuck" Ross on April 1, 2014 when the Lord called him home to eternal rest. He is preceded in death by his parents, first wife, Nellie Ann Ross; granddaughter, Hillary Elise Mabry; brother, Joseph "Joe" Ross and five sisters. Those left to cherish his memory include his daughters, Deidre M. Ross and Denise M. Ross, both of Aurora, CO; brothers, James Ross, Charles (Vickie) Ross and John A. Ross, Jr, all of Miami, FL; sisters, Patricia (Tommy) Jackson of Tampa, FL, Verna (Lawrence) Sconiers of Miami Gardens, FL and Evelyn Pearson of Miami, FL; step-sons, Don Mabry of Thornton, CO, Dean Marcellus Mabry of Aurora, CO and Muhtalar Dickson of Aurora, CO; 10 grandchildren; 6 great grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends.