Catherine C. Ross

On July 8th, 2018, Catherine Cornell Ross followed the rain into the sunset. She was a wonderful mom, grandmother, and friend.

Catherine Cornell was born on March 17th, 1931, in Albuquerque,

New Mexico, to Dudley E Cornell

II and Mary Lee Turman Cornell. She attended Manzano Day School, Washington Junior High School, Albuquerque High School, and UNM, where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma for 69 years. She married A. Everitt Ross in 1952, and they had 3 children. After graduating from UNM with a degree in education, she devoted her life to that field. She was a Kindergarten teacher and then became the Director of the Congregational Kindergarten for many years. Following those roles, she worked for the National Park Service at Chaco Center at the University of New Mexico, serving as an archivist for a number of years until the center closed. And her last "job" was helping raise her 7 grandchildren. In addition to a lifetime commitment to education, Catherine was also committed to kindness. She was always the first person to offer to help those in need and to stand by those who needed support. She was very proud of having been kicked off a public bus in Houston, Texas when she was a young teen because she refused to sit in the front of the bus, as a white person, when her friends, who were not white, had to sit in the back. She was a lifelong member of The Cathedral Church of Saint John, which included time as a member of the Bell Choir and serving as a member of the Altar Guild. She was preceded in death by her husband of 55 years, her brother DE Cornell "Skip" III, and her sister Connie Clayton. She is lovingly remembered by: her best friend, Nancy Gass Lewis (Claude Lewis); her 3 children, Rennae Ross (Patrick Foy), Laurie Ross-Brennan (Tim Brennan), and Dr. Randall Ross (Lena Walton); grandchildren, Chris Holden (Sarah McKinney), Catie Rohloff (Cabel Rohloff), Amber Brennan, Alysse Brennan (Dave Hanold), Tim Brennan, Caelan Ross, and Sawyer Ross; 6 great grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews."When I think of grandma, I think of kindness, generosity, ethics, chocolate, fearlessness, and an incredible sense of humor. She was known to open her heart, her arms, and her home to those in need and those she loved. She gave a friend her car once, just because he needed it more than she did. She would say "yes" to any adventure and any dessert. She had the kindest eyes, and while only one eye could see, they both sent an outpouring of love into the world. "The family would like to thank the wonderful caregivers at the Beehive in Albuquerque, House B, for the love they gave Catherine for the past 2 years.

A Celebration of Catherine’s life will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday, August 18th at the Cathedral Church of Saint John: 318 Silver Avenue SW, Albuquerque, NM.

Memorial donations can be made to the Cathedral Church of Saint John.