Raymond E. Ross, 72, of Uhrichsville passed away peacefully Monday, April 14, 2014 after a lengthy illness.
Born Sept. 16, 1941 in Dennison, he was a son of Antonette J. Donna (Romano) Ross of Uhrichsville and the late Peter J. Ross.
Ray was a lifelong resident of the Twin City area and a member of Immaculate Conception Church in Dennison. He was a graduate of Immaculate Conception High School in the class of 1959, where he played as an offensive and defensive lineman on the St. Mary Blue Wave football team, which went undefeated his junior and senior years.
In 1965, at the age of 24, Ray began his career in law enforcement, starting at the Dennison Police Department where he served for more than two years before transferring to the Uhrichsville Police Department for the remainder of his career. In 1982, he was named Chief of the Uhrichsville Police Department, a position he enjoyed until his retirement in September 2010. During his tenure, he made many significant improvements to the department, including designing a uniform complaint form in 1982 and implementing a video surveillance program, which helped to investigate and prosecute drug offenses near Claymont High School. Throughout his career and in his retirement, he was a faithful member of the Fraternal Order of Police.
Ray was a man of many interests who especially enjoyed biking and motorcycling, leading him to be a charter member of the Blue Knights Motorcycle Club, which is composed entirely of law enforcement officers. He was also a member of the Dennison Rotary Club, having joined in 1984 and served as club president in 1992 and 1993. He was honored by the Rotary as a Paul Harris Fellow in November 2002. One of his proudest accomplishments while active in the Rotary was the construction of the helipad for Twin City Hospital in Dennison.
On Nov. 12, 1983, Ray married the former Carol A. Heakin who survives him at their home. They enjoyed traveling and motorcycling together, including a trip to the Sturgis motorcycle rally in South Dakota a number of years ago. He and Carol especially enjoyed wintering in Venice, Fla. in their retirement. Ray was also an avid fan of the Cleveland Indians and a devoted pet owner of his cats, Abby and Angel, and cockatoo, Noah.
In addition to his mother and wife, Ray is survived by a brother, David A. (fiancée, Jayne Kohler) Ross of Strasburg; father-in-law, James Heakin of Uhrichsville; brothers- and sisters-in-law, Allen and Nancy Heakin of Rapid City, S.D. and David and Theresa Heakin of Uniontown; many extended family members including nieces, nephews and cousins and a host of dear friends.
He was preceded in death by brothers, Joseph M. Ross and Jerome Ross (in infancy), and his mother-in-law, Frances Heakin, in addition to his father.
Services for Ray, officiated by Father Anthony Lonzo, were held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 22, in Immaculate Conception Church in Dennison. Interment followed in St. Marys Cemetery near Dennison. Family and friends were invited to call at the R.K. Lindsey Funeral Home (www.lindseyfh.com) in Dennison from 3-7 p.m. Monday.
Those wishing to honor Rays memory by a charitable contribution are encouraged to do so to Community Hospice, the Dennison Rotary Club or Immaculate Conception Church.
