Yvonna Rae Higginbotham Ross

Yvonna Rae Ross passed away Oct. 5, 2010. She was born Dec. 2, 1933, in Levelland, Texas, and was raised in Wellington, Kan., by her parents, Roy and Oma Higginbotham. After graduating high school in Wellington, and attending Kansas State University, Yvonna married Thomas Clark Ross. As the wife of a newly minted second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, she started her world travels, where she met and kept lifelong friends from all over the world. They love her to this day and will miss her forever. While traveling the world, Yvonna had and raised four loving sons. After 25 years of military life, she landed in Las Vegas with her husband, Lt. Col. Thomas Clark Ross (Ret.). Yvonna soon went to work for UNLV's Continuing Education Department and then for the Nevada State Department of Education in the Transportation Department. After finally retiring for good, she became active in the senior tap dance group, "The Happy Hoofers," where she danced until the curtain finally came down. Yvonna was also very active in several ladies golf groups, where she scored her lone hole-in-one at the North Las Vegas Par 3 Golf Course. When she wasn't dancing or golfing, she was growing beautiful roses and growing and canning home-grown fruit from her backyard. She was also busy being "mom" to a family of desert tortoises. Yvonna was preceded in death by her first son, Thomas David Ross; dad, Roy Higginbotham; second son, Thomas Clark Ross; and mother, Oma Higginbotham. She is survived by her husband, Thomas; sons, Donald Mark Ross and Kevin Wayne Ross; three grandchildren, U.S. Marine Corps SSgt. Jonathan Thomas Ross, Raquel Markie Ross and Kelsi Nikkole Gossett-Ross; and one great-grandchild, Cameron Joseph Thomas Ross. Viewing will be from 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, Oct. 9, at Palm Mortuary, 1600 S. Jones Blvd. A gathering will follow at her home. She will be laid to rest in Wellington, Kan. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Nathan Adelson Hospice in Yvonna's name.

Arrangements under the direction of Palm South Jones Mortuary, Las Vegas, NV.