Susan K. Ross

Susan was born and raised in Lynnfield, Massachusetts to Gustav and Ruby Koch, where she lived on the same street and attended Lynnfield High School with her husband-to-be, Gary. She later attended Melrose-Wakefield School of Nursing, earning her RN in 1963. She loved the ‘little ones’ in the NICU, though she later worked in private practices for adults, and even Alzheimers care facilities. After Gary's tour of duty in Vietnam, his work in the Air Force took them to many places in the US, and the world, including Texas, Alabama, Virginia, New Jersey, Illinois, and (ahem), hardship duty stations in Germany and Hawaii. A penchant for travel continued in her life after Gary's passing, and she visited exotic places all over the world.

Susan was also an animal lover, taking in every dog, cat, bird, fish, and turtle her sons brought home. She developed a passion for shelling in Hawaii, and had an extensive collection of exotic shells collected from beaches all over the world.

She was also an avid volunteer wherever she happened to live, working in libraries shelving books, helping the Lions Club with vision screenings at elementary schools, and participated in ‘Book Buddies’ at many neighborhood schools.

Wherever Susan went, she made lifelong friends that she maintained contact with for decades. It was not unusual for her to receive Christmas cards from four or five continents in any given year, ranging from people she had met in one of the many stops in Gary's long list of duty stations, to dear friends she met in retirement (in Florida and North Carolina), to a couple she met on a Scandinavian Cruise one summer.

Susan is preceded in death by her parents Gustav Henry Koch, Ruby Katherine (Hayt) Koch, in-laws Stewart John Ross and Miriam (Janet) Ross, her husband, USAF (Ret) Col. Gary Crowell Ross, and her brother, Stephen Louis Koch.

She is survived by her sons Christopher (Ruth), of Ballwin, Missouri, Steven (Karen), of Raleigh, North Carolina, and Jeffrey (Lara) of New Bern, North Carolina. She is also survived by five grandchildren (Jonathan (Emily), Kailey, Madeline (Charles), Charlie, and Caroline), brothers and sisters in law, and six nieces and nephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial followed by interment at Raleigh National Cemetery next to her husband Gary, will take place at a later date, and a memorial will be arranged in her hometown of Lynnfield, Massachusetts.

In lieu of flowers, please make any contributions to one of the many charities she supported, such as the SPCA of Wake County, 200 Petfinder Lane, Raleigh, NC 27603; Habitat for Humanity of Wake County, 2420 North Raleigh Boulevard, Raleigh, NC 27604; or the Lions Club, 11617 Six Forks Rd., Raleigh, NC 27614.

Services by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 300 Saint Mary’s St., Raleigh.