Obituary of Ross Thompson
THOMPSON, GEORGE ROSS
On Monday, November 15th, 2021, George Ross Thompson, age 72, left for the party in the sky peacefully at home after a challenging battle with cancer. Ross went by many names. He will be forever cherished as Rossi to the love of his life, wife Patricia (nee Gropp), Dad to Julie van de Vrande (Chris) and Tim (Alisha), and Papa to his fishing partners and grandchildren: Jacob, Evangeline, and Adeline.
Born in Hamilton, Ontario, to George Avis and Violet (nee Ford), Ross joked that “George” was his father and it helped identify telemarketers. He will be missed by his brother John (Lynne) and nephews Cameron, Joel (Lauren), and Jay (Ivonne). Ross was Mr. Handyman and Mr. T to many who knew him. He constantly showed his love through service, whether reading to elementary school children, directing traffic in the church parking lot, or fixing something. He was iterations of Roscoe P. Coltrane to many of his friends, work colleagues, and hunting buddies from his career as an Operator for Ontario Hydro. Ross’ Boy Scout training and safety role in his union made him always prepared. He became Mr. Outdoors when he took friends and family backcountry camping. As Mr. Safety, he ran annual rescue drills with the canoe and sailboat and first aid with plenty of ketchup.
Ross raised his family in Grimsby, Ontario and moved to Kingston in 2015 to be closer to grandkids. He enjoyed 20 years of retirement, golfing, curling, and summers at his beloved cottage on Eagle Lake, South River. Ross loved people and liked to see them succeed. He held dry dock water skiing lessons, convinced that anyone could learn, and had a trophy for everyone. Ross was surrounded by his family during his final days and will be greatly missed.
His family would like to thank the staff from Kingston General Hospital, the Cancer Centre, Palliative Care, and Home Care for their compassion and support. Ross was never afraid to be silly. He wore his Terry Fox shirt and watermelon pants for treatment just to make the staff smile. Donations to the Terry Fox Foundation would tickle him pink.
In accordance with his wishes, cremation will take place with ashes privately interred in Kingston and spread in Algonquin Provincial Park and Eagle Lake. A big party will be planned at a later date to honor his wish to “Party On!”
