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Howard Leon Ross
1942 - 2025
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Howard Ross Obituary
Howard Leon Ross
December 19, 1942 - November 15, 2025
Charlotte, North Carolina - With profound sadness, but incredible gratitude for having known, loved, and been loved by him, Howard's family announces the passing of a truly wonderful man.
Howard was born and raised by his parents, Lawrence and Ethel Ross, in New York, ultimately graduating from Bay Shore High School. He then graduated with a Bachelors Degree from Syracuse University, earned a Masters Degree from New York University, and completed significant coursework towards his Ph.D. at Syracuse University prior to taking over the family business, Ross Jewelers and Diamonds, in Bay Shore, New York.
Howard married his first wife, Dianne, in 1971, and had two sons, Alex and Adam. Howard made it his mission in life to provide for his children in every way possible, and devoted himself fully to ensure that his family always had all they needed. Everything in Howard's life changed in 1991, when five men robbed his jewelry store, with one of the gunman forcing Howard to his knees, putting a gun to his head. Immediately prior, Howard triggered a silent alarm to call the police, and then while being yelled at by his attackers, he had the mental and emotional strength to fake a heart attack, which caused all of the robbers to flee in fear. They were all caught immediately and sent to prison; everyone at the store survived due to Howard's bravery and quick thinking; this is when Howard and Dianne decided it was time to leave New York.
The next chapter of Howard's life took him, Dianne, Alex and Adam to Charlotte, to start anew. Here, Howard was immediately embraced by the Charlotte Jewish community, and made innumerable friends, whose lives he has forever impacted. Even after retirement, Howard volunteered his time at Charlotte Works helping people develop their resumes and interviewing skills, and proudly referred to the success of "his people" each time he assisted someone find a job to support their family.
While Howard's marriage with Dianne ended in divorce, he found love again with Paula Cagan, who he married in 2017. Paula's children, spouses, and grandchildren all immediately adopted Howard as a father and grandfather, showering him with incredible amounts of unconditional love and support.
Howard lived a life of perseverance and bravery, and was the most proud father and grandfather this world has ever seen. He prided himself on his Jewish heritage, and in his own way overcame great hardship to find peace and comfort with his life well-lived.
For over sixteen months Howard battled pancreatic cancer, and despite the hardships that presented, he never lost his sense of humor, and never failed to express his incredible gratitude to the amazing teams of doctors, nurses and other care providers who kept him as comfortable as possible. Howard took particular pride in becoming the first person to participate in a particular clinical trial, which he joked would put him into the history books forever. Howard's family would like to express particular thanks to Dr. Reza Nazemzadeh and his amazing team at the Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute, to Dr. Neel Gandhi and his equally-amazing team at Carolina BioOncology Institute, and to the countless doctors and nurses at Atrium Medical Center who provided Howard with care and comfort in his final days. Up until his death, Howard was convinced that he was receiving "special treatment" given the quality of his care throughout his cancer journey.
Howard is survived by his loving sons Alex (and husband Chia-Huan), Adam (and wife, Jennifer), his beautiful granddaughter that he simply adored, Jessie (though he insisted on calling her by her given name, Jessica), his wife Paula, along with her entire family that "adopted" Howard – daughter Elissa Camera (and husband Scott) and their children Carson, Natalie, Avery and Riley, daughter Dana Kapustin (and husband Andrew) and grandchildren Danielle, Charlie and Jacob, daughter Lindsay Feldman, and children Noah, Jordan and Daren, and daughter Randi Capone (and husband Donald), and children Isaac, Asher and Nathan. All of these people love Howard as fiercely as he loved them.
Howard wanted the world to know that his death is not a tragedy – he passed a happy and fulfilled man. For decades, Howard ended every telephone call with his sons with these words: "I love you and I'm proud of you." Prior to his passing, his sons were able to return the sentiment. Howard passed peacefully, surrounded by those who loved him. What an incredible man.
In lieu of flowers or other expressions of love and support, please plant a tree in his honor in Israel: www.shiva.com
December 19, 1942 - November 15, 2025
Charlotte, North Carolina - With profound sadness, but incredible gratitude for having known, loved, and been loved by him, Howard's family announces the passing of a truly wonderful man.
Howard was born and raised by his parents, Lawrence and Ethel Ross, in New York, ultimately graduating from Bay Shore High School. He then graduated with a Bachelors Degree from Syracuse University, earned a Masters Degree from New York University, and completed significant coursework towards his Ph.D. at Syracuse University prior to taking over the family business, Ross Jewelers and Diamonds, in Bay Shore, New York.
Howard married his first wife, Dianne, in 1971, and had two sons, Alex and Adam. Howard made it his mission in life to provide for his children in every way possible, and devoted himself fully to ensure that his family always had all they needed. Everything in Howard's life changed in 1991, when five men robbed his jewelry store, with one of the gunman forcing Howard to his knees, putting a gun to his head. Immediately prior, Howard triggered a silent alarm to call the police, and then while being yelled at by his attackers, he had the mental and emotional strength to fake a heart attack, which caused all of the robbers to flee in fear. They were all caught immediately and sent to prison; everyone at the store survived due to Howard's bravery and quick thinking; this is when Howard and Dianne decided it was time to leave New York.
The next chapter of Howard's life took him, Dianne, Alex and Adam to Charlotte, to start anew. Here, Howard was immediately embraced by the Charlotte Jewish community, and made innumerable friends, whose lives he has forever impacted. Even after retirement, Howard volunteered his time at Charlotte Works helping people develop their resumes and interviewing skills, and proudly referred to the success of "his people" each time he assisted someone find a job to support their family.
While Howard's marriage with Dianne ended in divorce, he found love again with Paula Cagan, who he married in 2017. Paula's children, spouses, and grandchildren all immediately adopted Howard as a father and grandfather, showering him with incredible amounts of unconditional love and support.
Howard lived a life of perseverance and bravery, and was the most proud father and grandfather this world has ever seen. He prided himself on his Jewish heritage, and in his own way overcame great hardship to find peace and comfort with his life well-lived.
For over sixteen months Howard battled pancreatic cancer, and despite the hardships that presented, he never lost his sense of humor, and never failed to express his incredible gratitude to the amazing teams of doctors, nurses and other care providers who kept him as comfortable as possible. Howard took particular pride in becoming the first person to participate in a particular clinical trial, which he joked would put him into the history books forever. Howard's family would like to express particular thanks to Dr. Reza Nazemzadeh and his amazing team at the Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute, to Dr. Neel Gandhi and his equally-amazing team at Carolina BioOncology Institute, and to the countless doctors and nurses at Atrium Medical Center who provided Howard with care and comfort in his final days. Up until his death, Howard was convinced that he was receiving "special treatment" given the quality of his care throughout his cancer journey.
Howard is survived by his loving sons Alex (and husband Chia-Huan), Adam (and wife, Jennifer), his beautiful granddaughter that he simply adored, Jessie (though he insisted on calling her by her given name, Jessica), his wife Paula, along with her entire family that "adopted" Howard – daughter Elissa Camera (and husband Scott) and their children Carson, Natalie, Avery and Riley, daughter Dana Kapustin (and husband Andrew) and grandchildren Danielle, Charlie and Jacob, daughter Lindsay Feldman, and children Noah, Jordan and Daren, and daughter Randi Capone (and husband Donald), and children Isaac, Asher and Nathan. All of these people love Howard as fiercely as he loved them.
Howard wanted the world to know that his death is not a tragedy – he passed a happy and fulfilled man. For decades, Howard ended every telephone call with his sons with these words: "I love you and I'm proud of you." Prior to his passing, his sons were able to return the sentiment. Howard passed peacefully, surrounded by those who loved him. What an incredible man.
In lieu of flowers or other expressions of love and support, please plant a tree in his honor in Israel: www.shiva.com
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Published by Charlotte Observer from Nov. 17 to Nov. 19, 2025.
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