William (Bill) Ross

William Ross Jr. passed away on April 12, 2015 in Austin, Texas after a brief illness. He was born on October 11, 1925, the only child of Bill and Janet Ross. While growing up, he acquired the nickname of "Sandy" and was always known by that to lifelong friends and family. He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Karyl Hansen Ross, whom he often described as a "Lovely Lady."

Bill is survived by his daughters: Meredith Cooper and husband, Duane, of Austin, and Dana Neff and husband, Joe, of Little Rock, Arkansas. Also surviving are seven grandchildren: William "Ross" Cooper and wife, Cameron; Kristen Cooper and fiancé, Clay Livingston; Caroline Anthony and husband, Dan; Luke Neff and wife, Megan; Kate Stone and husband, Blake; Kristie Neff; Sarah Neff; and two great grandchildren.

Bill graduated from Oakland Technical High School in 1943 and attended the University of California at Berkeley. He was an active member of Sigma Phi fraternity. Bill served in the Merchant Marines during WWII, sailing in the South Pacific. Bill started his professional career working for the Fuller Paint Company. There, he met his wife, Karyl, when she decided to buy five gallons of paint one gallon at a time so she could keep coming back to see him. That started a strong relationship that set the tone for the family and passed a heritage of joy and commitment to their daughters. Bill built custom homes, including a dream home for his family on the San Leandro Bay in Alameda. He then worked with Gulf Oil in California and Arizona.

Once Bill retired he became an active member in his community donating hundreds of hours. He served as Kiwanis President for Moraga, California and was Kiwanian of the Year three times. He enjoyed playing tennis and bridge.

Bill was blessed with eight years in Austin and with his Querencia community. The family would like to thank Dr. Stephen Dewan and Dr. Juhana Karha and the medical teams at Austin Heart Hospital and Christopher House . Instead of flowers the family has asked that contributions be made to Wonders & Worries of Austin at www.wondersandworries.org, an organization that provides child life therapeutic support to children whose parents are seriously ill, co-founded by his daughter, Meredith.

A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, April 27 at St. David's Episcopal Church.