Bill was a man who loved his life and the people with whom he shared it. He quietly and courageously battled cancer for over 15 years until he passed away at home on March 5th at age 70. Born and raised in Vancouver BC, Bill will be deeply missed by his life partner Kathy, his children Troy, Devin, Christy and Kenny, his daughter-in-law Moira, grandchildren Hunter, Brooklyn and Kaiden, his nieces and nephew and all of his extended family. Bill follows his beloved parents Anne and Ossie and his brother John who passed before him.
Bill devoted his life to the service of others, to our country and to his beloved family. He enjoyed a long and distinguished career within the Federal Public Service, followed by giving back to his community in his retirement years through coaching and leadership of local soccer clubs. He also served on the Southpointe Board of Governors as well as the Probus executive for Tsawwassen among other volunteer roles.
His friends and colleagues knew him as a man of character, integrity and respect. He believed strongly that you are only as good as the people you surround yourself with and the importance of treating them well. Bill always acknowledged the contributions of the people in his life and those around him could rest assured that he would be there for them, in good times and bad, knowing he asked nothing more than friendship in return.
Bill was also known for saying what he meant, asking the tough questions, and providing solid advice no matter who asked. You always knew where you stood with Bill because of his genuine nature and he was well respected for his candor and caring. His brilliance and leadership skills instilled confidence and a quick and lighthearted wit put people at ease.
Bill left an indelible impression on all he met. He worked hard and played hard, with both enthusiasm and commitment, never one to bemoan life’s challenges, but always accepting the simple pleasures and enjoying the moment. He loved travel, history, politics, soccer and sharing a drink with friends. His humor, ability to laugh at himself and storytelling — no matter how many times he may have told the same story — always made for a good time.
Bill will be greatly missed by the many lives he touched.
Celebration of Life
Tuesday April 30, 2-4 pm followed by a reception 4-5pm
South Delta Baptist Church, 1988 56 St, Delta, BC V4L 2B1
In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the BC Cancer Foundation.
You are invited to leave a personal message of condolence for the family.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of William Roderick Ross March 5th 2019..
Death notice for the town of: Aldergrove, Province: Colombie britanique
William Roderick Ross
Bill was a REALLY a great guy. We first met at BCIT in the Admin Mgmt program. As Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964), we were on the leading edge of the new post war generation!
Canada, as a nation, had evolved through the pioneer phase, the First World War, the Roaring Twenties, the Depression leading to the Dirty Thirties, and then the Second World War. But with all that behind them, Canadians wanted to return home to new civilian life, and enjoy the next phase of their progressive lifestyle changes – prosperity and family formation!
The birth rate surged as society tried to grapple with the infrastructure demand for schools and residential housing, as well as needs for vehicles, industry and businesses, which were in high demand throughout the world! In short, there was a huge increase in Trade and Employment growth.
There was an interest in social programs. Although there was an existing minimalist program to assist those that became unemployed, it was recognized that with a fluid, fast growing economy, there may be unemployment gaps between employment. Sickness and maternity benefits were also deemed desirable and benefit rates of $100/week were proposed for all of these programs. Employment counselling was recognized as another link, and so it evolved to form another component of the new Department – the Unemployment Insurance Commission (UIC).
And so came the “Plan 71”, as that was the year the programs were to be was implemented!).
The Human Resources Plan, devised with the assistance of the Public Service Commission, was to bring in a number of new graduates from BCIT (ten from the Admin Mgmt program) and two from the Computer Systems program) who would ideally evolve into supervisory and management positions.
Many of us went on to Supervisory and Management positions within the Department, but Bill was really respected by all of us for his mind and his matter! A Fine man he be! A collegial type of guy!
Robert HAINES
PS Ironically, this is our fiftieth year from when we first commenced our path towards launching our careers!
1969- 2019
I would extend my sympathies to Bill and his family. We share your loss.
Robert Haines