Ewen Alexander Watson Ross

1972 - 2023

Ewen Alexander Watson Ross, 51, passed away on January 25, 2023, surrounded by his family after a brave, three-year fight against cancer. He leaves a legacy of devoted love, caring friendship, joy in teaching and learning, and awe for the natural world. Ewen was born on January 11, 1972, in Northampton, England, and he lived in England and Scotland until he was 7 years old, when he moved to Connecticut. He graduated from Canton High School in 1990, where he played soccer and golf and participated in theater tech, and he continued his education at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass., graduating with honors with a bachelor's degree in mechanical design engineering in 1994. During his junior year in college, Ewen participated in a professional development project for engineers in London as part of the International Brotherhood of Foundry Workers. A member of Theta Chi fraternity, Ewen remained connected to the organization after graduating by playing in a fraternity golf tournament every summer. Ewen's work in a co-operative program as a student engineer led to a job at Wiremold in West Hartford, Conn., where he was a rotation engineer and ultimately became a mechanical design engineer. He later worked at U.S. Filter in Chelmsford, Mass., then Cooper Instruments in Middlefield, Conn. While at Cooper Instruments, he volunteered as a mentor to the robotics team at The Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Conn., and he discovered he loved mentoring, teaching, and working with students. The following year, he was offered and accepted a full-time faculty position at Loomis Chaffee, where he was a member of the Science Department, teaching physics, advanced physics, astronomy, an interdisciplinary course on the Model T, and courses in engineering design and robotics. Ewen also grew the robotics team into the thriving and successful program that it is today. As part of his faculty responsibilities at Loomis, Ewen also served as a dormitory affiliate, academic advisor, coach of JV boys golf and ultimate frisbee, class advisor, Penn Fellow mentor, and assistant head of the Science Department. In each of these roles, Ewen enriched the lives of his students and colleagues, who were swept up by his infectious enthusiasm for learning and discovery. Ewen also worked in the Loomis Chaffee Summer Program for three years introducing young students to robotics, physics, and engineering. Ewen's interests outside of work reflected his bottomless curiosity and his sense of wonder. He shared many a clear, starry evening gazing at the constellations and planets through telescopes and sharing this activity with friends and students. He was a skilled astrophotographer and a talented stained glass artist, and he took a keen interest in 3D art and fabrication. He also enjoyed metal detecting, golfing, and fishing. Early in his tenure at Loomis Chaffee, Ewen met and fell in love with faculty member Lisa Salinetti, who is now the school's director of alumni and parent relations, and the couple married in July 2004. Described by friends as "two peas in a pod," Ewen and Lisa built a life together on the Loomis campus and raised a family there. Their children, Elizabeth (Ellie) and Tyler, are current Loomis students, and Ewen and Lisa could always be found cheering on the sidelines of their children's sporting events and other activities. Ewen was tremendously proud of Ellie and Tyler, and his deep love for them and for Lisa endures. Ewen was predeceased by his father, Eric Ross of Duns, Scotland, and his brother Duncan Ross of Duns, Scotland. In addition to his wife, Lisa Salinetti Ross, and their children, Ellie and Tyler, Ewen is survived by his parents, Sandra and Jonathan Festa of Canton, CT; his siblings Elizabeth Griffiths and her husband, Keith of Fordyce, Scotland and Alistair Ross and his wife, Theresa of Windsor, CT; sister- in-law Carol Ross of Duns, Scotland; his parents-in-law, Dick and Judy Salinetti of Lee, MA; his sister-in-law, Terri Salinetti Labrecque and her husband, Craig of Nashua, NH; his brother-in-law, Jim Salinetti and his wife Hillary of Winchester, MA; many beloved nieces and nephews; and his comforting and much-loved pets, Linus and Pepper.

His family will receive friends on Tuesday, January 31 from 5-8 p.m. at the Carmon Windsor Funeral Home, 807 Bloomfield Avenue, Windsor. Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, February 1 at 11 a.m. at Saint Damien of Molokai Parish, St. Gabriel Church, 379 Broad Street in Windsor followed by burial at Elm Grove Cemetery in Windsor.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hartford Healthcare Cancer Institute in support of appendix cancer patient care, 80 Seymour Street, P.O. Box 5037, Hartford, CT 06102. For directions or condolences please visit www.carmonfuneralhome.com