Carl Howard Ross Jr.

1935 - 2025

Carl Howard Ross, Jr.

June 16, 1935 - October 7, 2025

Of Queensbury. Carl Howard Ross, Jr., age 90, passed away peacefully at home October 7, 2025, surrounded by the love of his family.

Born June 16, 1935, in Burlington, Vt., he was the son of the late Carl Howard Ross, Sr. and Mary Irene (Maguire) Ross.

Carl attended Cathedral High School in Burlington, which was also where he met the love of his life, Agnes C. Plankey, who he first met in detention their freshman year. Agnes was serving detention for rolling up the sleeves of her Catholic-school uniform, and Carl had forgotten to bring a pencil to class. The pair graduated in June 1953 and married in February 1954. They relocated to the Glens Falls area in 1958. In 1973, Carl began working at Finch Pruyn Paper Co, and he remained there until his retirement in 1999.

Carl and Agnes found their "forever home" at 35 Elm Street in Hudson Falls. Their house on Elm Street became the hub of their family and saw the celebration of countless Thanksgivings, Christmases, and New Year's Eves. The most coveted of holidays, however, was Halloween. Carl and Agnes would open their door to hundreds of trick-or-treaters every year to hand out full-size candy bars and cans of soda. Carl would take a picture of every group who stopped by, and the following year would have the printed photos spread out on a table for people to sort through and reminisce, and even keep if they found an old photo of themselves.

Carl was a keeper of memories. His camera was always within arm's reach, and he would never let even the smallest of gatherings pass without a group shot. Those pictures lined the walls of his and Agnes' home, and what didn't fit in frames wound up entombed in albums that spanned a wall's worth of bookshelves. In 1967, he began keeping written (and later typed) journals of the happenings of all his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and close friends. Sharing a life update with him always resulted in an exclamatory "I've got to put that in my book!", and he loved nothing more than sharing those memories with anyone who would indulge him in a conversation.

It would be difficult to find anyone with a bad thing to say about Carl. He was kind, compassionate, open-minded, and genuine in every aspect of his life. One of his favorite movies-which the family has watched at every Thanksgiving dinner since 1995-was How The Grinch Stole Christmas, an ironic choice because even after the Grinch's heart grew three sizes, it was only a fraction of the size of Carl's. Perhaps the only thing bigger than Carl's heart was his sweet tooth, which he indulged frequently with Ben and Jerry's ice cream (and Junior Mints and Charleston Chews and maple candies and cider donuts and chocolate chip cookies).

Carl never missed an opportunity to show up and support his children and grandchildren. If there was a chorus or band concert, he was in the audience tapping and humming along. If there was a baseball game, he was in the bleachers rooting for every kid on the field, even the ones on the opposing team. If there was a theater performance, an art show, a dance recital-Carl was there. And win or lose, starring role or ensemble, odds were pretty good he'd be wrangling everyone into ice cream at Friendly's afterwards to celebrate.

As much as Carl loved being out and about supporting his loved ones, he equally enjoyed a quiet evening in. He was an avid supporter of the Boston Red Sox, and always kept track of their standings even if he couldn't watch the game. He loved history, especially local, and did his best to never stop learning. He even went as far as auditing classes at SUNY Adirondack in his later years.

Carl was predeceased by his beloved Agnes in November 2019, and additionally by his parents and three brothers: Howard, Harold, and Robert.

Those left to cherish his memory include his six children, Kevin Ross (Anne Shopp) of Broomfield, Colo., Carlene (Kevin) Ramsey of Queensbury, Carmen Ross of Glens Falls, Diane Ross of Boonville, Brian Ross (Albert Imperato) of New York City, and Judy (Matt) Caimano of Queensbury; his grandchildren, Michael (Marlee) Provera, Christopher (Jill) Provera, and Meredith (Ruben) Salinas, Veronica (Derek) Diaz, Nick Ramsey (Debra Yoo), Jennifer (James) Pouliot, Jill (Bob) Schafer, Sarah, Abigail, and Ross Caimano; his great-grandchildren, Milica, Daniella, and Leo Provera, Nora Pouliot, Carson, and Preston Schafer, and Kayden Salinas; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Calling hours will take place on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Baker Funeral Home, 11 Lafayette St, Queensbury, NY 12804.

A funeral service will follow at the funeral home with Rev. Joseph Busch of Our Lady of the Annunciation in Queensbury officiating.

A private graveside service will take place Thursday, October 16, 2025, at Pine View Cemetery.

The family would like to extend our deepest gratitude to Dr. Stratton at Hudson Headwaters, and the staff of High Peaks Hospice-specifically Morgan, Maria, and Brandon. Additionally, we would like to thank our home healthcare team: Rose, Ed, and Lisa.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Carl's memory may be made out to High Peaks Hospice at 1247 Dix Avenue, Hudson Falls, NY 12839, and SAIL (Southern Adirondack Independent Living) at 71 Glenwood Avenue, Queensbury, NY, 12804.

Condolences may be sent directly to Baker Funeral Home, 11 Lafayette St, Queensbury, NY 12804, or online at www.bakerfuneralhome.com.