Harry Robert "Barney" Ross

Harry Robert "Barney" Ross Passed away on April 28, 2009 at Stanford Hospital after a courageous fight with heart disease. He was 84 years old. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Dorothy Bauer Ross; two daughters and their husbands, Nancy Ross Ryde and Magnus Ryde of Atherton, CA and Carolyn Ross and Don "Chip" Hill of Alamo, CA; two grandchildren, Nancy Hill and Erik Ryde, and countless friends and extended family members. Barney was born on September 5, 1924 in Jacksonville, FL to Cornelia Strobar Ross and Harry Romain Ross. He was orphaned at a young age and was raised by relatives in Rutland, VT. He attended Mohonk School for Boys New Paltz, NY and subsequently George School in Newtown, PA, from which he graduated in 1943. Following high school graduation, Barney enlisted in the Army toward the end of World War II, where he served under General George S. Patton and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. After the war, he went to the University of Vermont (UVM) on the GI Bill. He studied business, participated in intramural sports, belonged to Delta Psi fraternity, and danced the Cake Walk. After his 1950 graduation from UVM, he went back into active duty in the Army with the rank of second lieutenant and served in the Korean War. In 1953, while stationed in Giessen, Germany, he met his wife, the former Dorothy Bauer, a teacher from California. They were married in December 1955 in Glendale, CA his wife's home. In 1965, Barney was sent to Cameron Bay, Vietnam, where he served until 1967. Upon his return, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and completed his active duty service at the Presidio of San Francisco. After a distinguished career of 22 years in the military, Barney retired in 1969 and returned to graduate school at San Jose State. He received his MBA in 1972 and began a second career as a trust officer at Crocker Bank, where he worked until his retirement in 1985. Following his retirement, Barney and his wife continued to live in San Francisco until 1997 when they moved to Menlo Park. He resided there until his death. Barney loved the outdoors, and especially loved to ski and sail. Although he was raised in the Green Mountains, his admiration was deepest of the Alps and the Sierra Nevada. He was devoted to his family and maintained friendships with people he had known around the world and across the country by virtue of his Army career and the years of his youth spent in Vermont. Throughout his adult life, Barney maintained a keen interest in international relations and American foreign policy. He was a student of baseball, and especially loved the S.F. Giants. A memorial service, with full military honours, is planned for May 30, 2009 at 2:30pm at Trinity Episcopal Church in Menlo Park. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations to The American Heart Association, Diabled American Veterans or ALIMAR