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(March 31, 1919 - March 16, 2012)
William Edward “Bill” Ross of Gillette, formerly of Cody, died Friday, March 16, 2012 at Cambell County Memorial Hospital of natural causes at the age of 92.
Bill was born March 31, 1919 in Seneca, Neb., to Ward and Loretto (Ferguson) Ross. At the age of 5, the family moved from Nebraska to Cody, where he graduated from Cody High School in 1937.
On Dec. 8, 1941, he joined the Army and was stationed in several Australian towns growing vegetables and farming to support the troops. It was in Home Hill, Australia, where he met his future wife, Joan Teresa Gili.
He served under General MacArthur in the Buna Campaign in the Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific. He was discharged from the Army on Aug. 26, 1943 in Fort Logan, Colo. He returned to Australia in April 1946 and Bill and Joan were married on April 9, 1946. They homesteaded on the Heart Mountain Irrigation Project north of Cody and remained in Cody until moving to Gillette in October 2006.
He is survived by his children Teresa (Kirk) Blackford of Gillette, Frank (Ginny) Ross of Lewistown, Mont., and Steve (Deb) Ross of Greeley, Colo.; six grandchildren: Anna and Mickie Blackford, and Brian, Keith, Kevin and Travis Ross; six great-granddaughters; brother, Ward Ross of Thermopolis, and sister, Mary Covillo of Denver.
He was preceded in death by his parents, siblings, Elinor Coryell and Tom Ross, and wife Joan of 62 years.
Rosary services will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 22 at The Church of St. Anthony in Cody. Mass of the Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Friday, March 23, at the church with Fr. Vernon Clark celebrating. Burial will follow at Riverside Cemetery with full military honors.
An online guestbook is available at www.ballardfh.com.
