Robert "Bob" Ross

02/24/1945 - 01/03/2026

Robert "Bob " Harold Ross passed away at his nursing home on January 3rd, 2026 in Williamsburg, VA, at age 80, following his battle with Parkinson's Disease. He was born on February 24, 1945, in Port Huron, Ml, the son of G. Gordon Ross, Jr. and Winona (Snowdon) Ross, and the brother of Ruth Claire (Ross) Dickinson, all of whom have predeceased him.
He is survived by: his beloved wife, Theda L. Rudd; his son, David W. Rudd Ross
(Mackenzie L. lsrael-Trummel); and his two grandchildren, Amina Z. Rudd-Trummel (7) and Demetrius P. Israel-Ross (4) who lovingly called him "GrandBob."
Bob graduated from Cedar Cliff High School in Camp Hill, PA, received a B.A. degree in Commercial Food Service Management from Penn State University ('67), and held a Masters in Hamburgerology from McDonald's Hamburger University.
He was very proud of his affiliation with top-rated firms in their fields: in sales for Bastian-Blessing Foodservice Equipment, as an independent owner/operator of two McDonald's Restaurants in Grand Rapids, Ml, and in management with Ross and Associates Marketing, Inc. for 27 years, also in Grand Rapids. He was proud of his military service from 1967 through 1969 as a Captain in the Quartermaster Corps of the U.S. Army.
Bob and Theda resided in Okemos, Ml until their retirement to the Saddlebrooke community in Tucson, Arizona in 2013. They then relocated to Williamsburg, VA in 2020 to be near their family.
A celebration of life service will be held at Whiting's Funeral Home in Williamsburg, VA on January 17th, 10am. At his request, please feel free to bring a "bad Bob-joke" to share! Cremation has already taken place. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution in Bob's memory to the Ronald McDonald House of Mid-Michigan or to a charity of your choice.