Carl Ross

Carl Ellsworth Ross entered his heavenly home on December 25, 2018.    He was born to Emory and Ruth Ross on September 15, 1931 in Chicago, Illinois.  The family were active members of the Church of the Messiah where Carl served as an Altar Boy in his youth.  He attended South Shore High School where he played baseball and was on the swim team.  In his youth he spent his summers at the family farm located in Chesterton, Indiana.

He attended DePauw University and DeVry Technical Institute where he studied electronics. During his summers, he worked on a railroad which turned out to be the beginning of a long railroad career. In 1951 he joined the US Coast Guard and served in the Chicago and Great Lakes areas.  He married Patricia Mickey in 1952 and to their union were born two children, Cheryl and Carl. After his discharge from the Coast Guard he resumed his railroad career with the Rock Island Railroad working himself into management and later accepted the position of Chief Engineer at Kansas City Terminal Railway and Carl, Pat and the kids moved to Overland Park, Kansas in 1967.

As Chief Engineer Carl worked long, hard stressful days officed out of historic Union Station in Kansas City and was responsible for a large downsizing in response to changing demands for rail services.  He was nicknamed “Little General”; yet despite this challenging environment, he built many lasting friendships among his colleagues which lasted well beyond his retirement in 1991.

Following Pat’s death, Carl married Eleanor Hassed in 1983 and became a second father to Ellie’s children, Molly and John.  Carl and Ellie settled in Spring Hill, Kansas where they enjoyed 22 years of rural, country living before downsizing and moving back to the Kansas City suburbs for the final years of his life.

Carl enjoyed working around his yard and home and set up an impressive shop in his barn where he continued blessing friends and neighbors with his woodworking, automotive repair, and handyman skills.   He enjoyed traveling with Ellie, especially to visit with extended family in Chicago, Atlanta, and New York; often taking many side trips along the way.   He enjoyed classical, country, and gospel music and was an avid follower and critic of the Chiefs, Royals and KU Basketball.    He loved his dog Goofy and the many cats of the house through the years.  His greatest enjoyment came from hosting large family holiday and birthday celebrations and attending many of his grandson’s sports activities.

Carl is survived by his wife Ellie; children Cheryl (Ken) Manion, Overland Park, KS and Carl Ross, Topanga, California, and; stepchildren Molly Taylor, Atlanta, GA and John (Debbie) Hassed, Overland Park; grandson, Nate Hassed; cousins Paula Griesel, Bloomington, IN, and Arthur (Marilou) Dahlberg, of El Paso, Texas.  He was preceded in death by his parents Ruth and Emory and first wife Patricia.

Carl was often described as a tough railroad guy, but especially in his later years, many knew of his kind and sweet soul.   He will be greatly missed.   The family would especially like to thank the Blue Sage Pointe staff and the Tallgrass Creek community for their care and friendship of Carl in his final years.

A private family service will be held with inurnment at Johnson County Funeral Chapel & Memorial Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Shriners Hospital for Children, https://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/shc/donate