DONALD ROSS

ROSS--Donald K. Sr.,

of Franklin Lakes, NJ, Water Mill, NY and Vero Beach, FL passed away at his home in New Jersey on January 5, 2016 after an extended illness. He was born in 1925, the son of Alexander and Althea Grainger Ross of Ridgewood, NJ. Mr. Ross was the valedictorian of his Ridgewood High School class in 1942 and matriculated as an undergraduate at Yale University in the V 12 United States Navy training program. While at Yale he was a member of the varsity swim team and majored in electrical engineering. Upon graduation he was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Navy. After three years of active duty in the Navy he resigned his commission and entered Harvard Business School. Upon graduation he spent a summer as a counselor at Camp Pemigewassett in Wentworth, NH where he and his brother Sandy had spent their boyhood summers. He soon joined New York Life Insurance Company as a trainee. Mr. Ross spent his entire professional career at New York Life, culminating with his serving for a decade as its CEO, President and Chairman of its board of directors. Don met the love of his life, Mary Fyffe, in the second grade. They were married in 1949 and she survives him; along with their four children Catherine Lesher (Charles), Susan Morris (William), D. Keith Ross, Jr. (Suzanne) and Deborah Cipriano (Gaetano), along with nine grandchildren, three step-grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his younger brother Alexander "Sandy" Ross and many nieces and nephews and their families. He was a beloved family man and a true gentleman of the old school with a calm demeanor, impeccable judgment, and an illuminating smile. Mr. Ross was a life- long, enthusiastic golfer. He was an active member of the Arcola Country Club in Paramus, NJ, National Golf Links of America in Southampton, NY, and the Moorings Country Club, Vero Beach, FL. He also was a longtime member of the Indian Trail Club in Franklin Lakes, NJ where he played competitive platform tennis for many years. In addition to his career with New York Life Insurance Co., Mr. Ross was Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the YMCA of Greater New York; Trustee of the Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation; and a member of the Boards of Directors of the Committee for Economic Development and the New York Chamber of Commerce. In addition he was an elder and building committee member of the Presbyterian Church of Franklin Lakes, NJ and he was instrumental in the construction of its Church on Franklin Lake Road. A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, January 8, 2016 at 4pm at the High Mountain Presbyterian Church, 730 Franklin Lake Road, Franklin Lakes, NJ. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Hackensack UMC Foundation Heart Failure Fund, 360 Essex Street, Suite 301. Hackensack, NJ 07601 or by calling 551-996-3720. Services by Vander Plaat-Vermeulen Memorial Home, 530 High Mountain Road, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417. For further info. please visit www.vpmemorial.com or call us at (201)891-4770.