Gordon Parker Ross

After a valiant five-year battle with dementia, Gordon Parker Ross succumbed to complications of this horrible disease and passed away early in the morning on December 15, 2022, nearly six years after losing his loving wife, Carol Bohlmann Ross.

Gordon was born on January 16, 1936 in Ponca City, Oklahoma to Col. R.G and Rachel Ross. The son of a military father, Gordon moved several times with his family, finally settling in Tulsa, Oklahoma where he graduated from Central High School in 1953. Academic scholarship in hand, Gordon moved to Austin to attend the University of Texas. He pledged Sigma Nu fraternity and enjoyed his college life. Before being graciously asked to leave the University due to his less than stellar GPA, he met Carol in the fall of 1955 during her freshman year at UT. From that day on, they remained together, including his two-year stint at a U.S. Army base in Germany where interestingly, he served with Elvis Presley, though they didn’t know each other. Contrary to media reports, my dad always assured us that Elvis was one of the base DJs - not a tank driver! After an honorable discharge, Gor-don returned to Austin and re-enrolled at UT. After Carol graduated, they were married on June 12, 1959 and Gordon graduated in 1961. They remained married for almost 58 years until she passed away in February of 2017.

Gordon and Carol moved to San Antonio after his graduation, and Gordon started a 40+ year career in the commercial HVAC industry, first as a salesman for Honeywell, eventually transferring to Shreveport, Louisiana and then to Dallas. After leaving Honeywell, he worked for a manufacturer's’ rep firm, then moved to Austin once again in 1976 with another rep firm. Eventually, he struck out on his own and started Texas Air Products in 1983. He grew the company from a tiny two-person sales office to a company with 40+ people in three cities that was known throughout the industry. He sold the company at the end of 2002 and it continues to thrive today. Texas Air Products is a company that he was immensely proud of, not because of what he accomplished individually, but because of the people who worked for him and the successes they enjoyed, as well as the companies and projects that the company supported over the years. Our family is very proud of this and we appreciate his sense of pride and commitment more than ever.

After selling the company, Gordon and Carol retired to a well-deserved, somewhat slower-paced life. They traveled far and wide with their large circle of friends. They hosted countless dinners and parties over the years, and Gordon tried his hand at golf as a member of Austin Country Club for several years until Carol’s health started failing. Unfortunately, his game never improved, though he made several good friends on the links and seemed to enjoy his outings. We’re pretty sure that our mother also enjoyed his outings because he wasn’t at home pestering her to cook for him all the time! She was a great cook, and dad relished and appreciated her efforts. Together they raised two black Labradors, naming them both Duke after one of his screen idols, John Wayne. Everyone that visited their home knows how spoiled those dogs were!

Dad always expected our best behavior, and we know that he had our best interests in mind. For that we appreciate him. We certainly weren’t spoiled, but we never lacked for anything. Now that he and mom have both moved on to the never-ending bridge game in the sky, we look back with fondness on a complete, well-lived life. Our dad taught us a lot about life and we will miss him along with his dry sense of humor.

Gordon is survived by his sons, David and Donald, David’s wife Marianne, and three grandchildren that he adored, Sam Ross, Sam Boesch, and Shannon Boesch. We extend our sincere thanks to the staff at Westminster Manor, the staff at Seton Hospital, and the caregivers at CareFor, who provided round the clock care for both our mother and father during their last years.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider a donation to AGE of Central Texas, Alzheimer’s Association, or a charity of your choice. A celebration of life will be held later in January with a graveside internment of his ashes on January 15.