Elizabeth Ross

1938 - 2025

Elizabeth Sproul Ross died peacefully on Fri, Oct 24, 2025 at 7:38 p.m., surrounded by family and friends, after experiencing a stroke. Elizabeth Larned Sproul was born on July 20, 1938, in Staunton, Virginia, to Elizabeth Larned Knight and John Morgan Sproul. She graduated from Queens College in Charlotte, NC, taught art for two years in Winston Salem, and earned her MFA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. While she was in Winston-Salem, she met her husband William Oetinger Ross (Bill) at The Little Theatre of Winston-Salem. After returning to Charlotte, she began teaching at Central Piedmont Community College, becoming the first full-time studio art teacher at a NC community college. In 2005, CPCC established The Elizabeth Ross Gallery in her honor. At Central Piedmont Elizabeth was recognized as an outstanding teacher, not only for her work in the classroom, but for taking students abroad and to her family farm in the Shenandoah Valley to encourage their study. An active painter, photographer and teacher, Elizabeth currently has work on display at an exhibit at Queens University. Classes at "The Farm" became the basis for the Airy Knoll Arts Project, a summer residential program that Elizabeth and Bill founded to encourage students of all ages to explore the creative process through art, poetry, art, and community. There students were immersed in the arts of writing, drawing, painting, and photography, with yoga, theatre and music woven in. Elizabeth retired from CPCC after 50 years and continued teaching art privately up until her death. She was brilliant, playful, obstinate, larger than life, and passionate about creating spaces where people could discover their value and creative gifts. She continued to teach art to all ages until the day before her stroke. She is survived by her children Rebecca Holley Ross, David Adams Ross, and Jonathan Sproul Ross, and her siblings Lucy Carlson, Malinda Brown, John Sproul, and Virginia Downing. She was preceded in death by her husband, Bill, and sister Katherine Perry. A memorial celebration will be held Fri, Dec 19 at 2 p.m. at Myers Park Presbyterian Church, with music starting at 1:30 p.m. Memorials given to the Airy Knoll Arts Project at www.airyknollarts.org will be used to continue Elizabeth's legacy of supporting promising young artists.