Obituary

John Edgar Ross was born on December 24, 1934, in Halstead, KS, an early Christmas present to his parents Fay and Bertha. The youngest of four children, he grew up on the family farm with his sister and 2 older brothers. He attended Halstead High School, where he played football, ran track, and was a member of the 1952 Kansas State class B championship basketball team. After graduation, he attended Hutchison Junior College where he achieved an associate degree in Industrial Arts which prepared him for the life of service that was to follow.

In 1956, he met a sweet young nursing student named Sylvia, who became the love of his life. In 1957 he received his first call to service. He served in the United States Air Force as an aircraft mechanic until 1961. In 1958 he married Sylvia, and together they made a family and traveled the world in service to their Lord.

After leaving the service they moved to Tulsa, OK where John worked as a cabinet maker. In their local church they served as youth leaders. In 1965 they answered the call to go to the mission field as the Master’s Mechanic. Already having a son, their departure was delayed by the arrival of 3 little girls. In 1967, John and Sylvia went to Mashoko Mission in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) with a 6-year-old, two 2-year-olds, and an 8 month old. After 7 years they returned for good to put their 4 children through school in Bartlesville, OK and then in Farmers Branch Texas. In Bartlesville John served as a maintenance man and display builder for Woolaroc Museum. He also served as an elder and chairman of the board for First Christian Church Dewey. The Lord then called him in 1980 to be the chief of maintenance at Dallas Christian College and later as a cabinet maker in a local cabinet shop. While there, they attended Valley View Christian Church where John Served in many ways.

Once the last child graduated high school, they again answered the call to missions in Zaire (now the Congo). Their planned time there was cut short due to the outbreak of war, and they returned to the US and settled again in Bartlesville where John again worked as a cabinet maker for Applied Visions. They attended East Bartlesville Christian Church where John again served in various ways by, singing in the choir, teaching Sunday School, and helping to renovate the church library.

After retirement, John and Sylvia lived in various locations in Oklahoma and Kansas, serving wherever they went. They had many adventures together, often going with Sylvia’s brother Barry and his wife Jenny. After Sylvia’s death in 2016, John moved to Missouri to live with his son’s family. He went to his eternal reward on August 2 with members of his family present. John is preceded in death by his wife Sylvia, his parents, Fay and Bertha Ross, sister Dorothy Fay Cooper, brothers Robert Ross, and Richard Ross and their spouses Dorothy, and Leah May. He is survived by his son John and wife Cindy Ross, daughters Janet Ross, Joy Berryman and husband Jeffery, Jean Dockers and husband James, 6 grandchildren and one new great granddaughter.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, August 8, 2024, at 1:00 pm, with service to follow at 3:00, at Legacy Christian Church, Lees Summit. Interment will be at 1:00 on Friday, August 9, 2024, at the Valley Township Cemetery in Kansas. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to the mission or missionary of your choice.

Arrangements by Langsford Funeral Home, 115 SW 3^rd Street, Lee’s Summit, MO 64063