BUFFALO, N.Y. — "He was able to be there for all of his friends and their family in their time of need. There's something to be said for providing excellent care at the end of life for someone," said Devon Ross.
That end of life can be a most difficult time for families and friends. David Ross spent more than five decades helping people through that time as a funeral director. A legacy he passed down through the generations.
"My name is Devon Ross. I'm the granddaughter of the deceased, David A. Ross, Sr."
Along with her father and other family members, Devon embraced the family business.
"Yeah, he loved it. I actually got to work side by side with him every day for like five years when we were running Lockport together," she recalls.
In addition to being a professional mentor, Mr. Ross was also a doting father, uncle and grandfather.
"He would go to all my cousin's like football games and sports games and he has a calendar of everyone's birthdays so he would call you and harass you like 'Who are you dating now?' and 'What's going on in your life.' and all sorts of stuff. He was a really great grandfather. He just loved all of us."
And he loved his community. He served as an Akron Village Trustee, and county sheriff and in many civic organizations.
"And he owned a lot of small businesses, and he was a school bus driver for Akron Central Schools for a long time. He'd yell at me if I didn't mention that he did a lot of services for the Native Americans on the Tonawanda Reservation. We did almost all of their funeral services. Respecting their traditions and everything like that"
Having helped countless families deal with a loved one's passing, David A Ross passed this month at the age of 82, After a long life of service; a life well lived.