Carol Ann Ross
October 27, 1940 ~ March 5, 2019

Carol Ann Ross of Medicine Hat, Alberta passed away peacefully at the Christian Science Broadview Nursing Facility in Los Angeles, California. Her enthusiasm for life, razor sharp wit, infectious laugh and big-sister wisdom will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.
Carol Ann did things on her own terms; her unexpected passing was no exception. She came into this life much the same way – Born in Calgary, Alberta to Esther C.L. Anderson and Curtis Patrick Ross – she arrived on her mother’s 21 birthday! Thus began an unbreakable bond between mother and daughter.
When her parents divorced early in Carol Ann’s life, she and her mother continued living in Calgary, where she forged several life-long friendships. While growing up in Calgary, Carol Ann fell in love with the Rodeo and a few of the cowboys that came with it!
Carol Ann and her father continued to foster their relationship until his passing in 2000 – despite him living in Toronto, ON., then in Edmonton, Alberta, where he and his wife were raising their three children. Nor did Carol Ann allow distance to stand between her developing a close and loving relationship with her siblings. She cherished every moment spent with them, particularly with baby sister Darlene; at Ross family reunions, weddings, graduations, etc. all held a special place in her heart.
When Esther married Malcolm MacKenzie in 1965, Carol Ann embraced his children wholeheartedly referring to them always as her “sister and brothers”. There simply was no “step” or “half” in Carol Ann’s heart, once you were family you were “full” family. After Malcolm passed away suddenly, Carol Ann continued to deepen her love for, and relationship with, her new siblings.
In the mid 1960’s Carol Ann left Calgary for a job opportunity in New York City. During that time she also worked for future president, Gerald Ford on a yearlong land reclamation project. As much as she enjoyed dining with the future president and the sizzle that living in the Big Apple offers, it also proved to be a lonely time for her. She often said that “living in NY made me more resilient.” After a couple of years she decided that her heart was in the West and moved to Beverly Hills, CA. From there she moved to La Jolla, CA, where she worked as Executive Secretary to the president of a large tuna cannery company.
When her mother found love again with Harold Torgerson in 1975, Carol Ann’s family tree grew to nearly unimaginable numbers. Six new siblings were welcomed into her heart, again as “full” brothers and sisters. She grew especially close with her sister, Nattacia developing a bond few blood-related sisters enjoy.
In 1979, Carol Ann decided to leave the hustle and bustle of California and move to Medicine Hat, where she took on the role of Personal Assistant to the Mayor. It was there that she found another “sister” in her co-worker, Linda Lamirade and developed close and lasting friendships with so many others.
Her next stop was Salt Lake City, Utah where in 1985, she earned her degree in Communications and Public Relations Sequence – ideal for her engaging personality.
Carol Ann clearly loved travel and the adventures found within it, blending this passion into a career in tourism, she represented Alberta Tourism for many years while living in the U.S. One of her favourite endeavours was working for the Palm Springs Windmill Tours in the 90’s and later at the Palm Springs Air Museum, where she even took flight in a 1940’s B52 Bomber!
The travel bug led Carol Ann on so many wonderful road trips; covering 8 U.S. States in 3 weeks; spent nearly a month kicking up her heals in New Orleans; attended numerous Senior Pro-Rodeos throughout Canada and the U.S., most often sharing these adventures with dear friends or family members. In the late 1990’s she embarked on a riverboat cruise within China always making new friends and connecting with old ones, along the way.
As exciting as all of this travel sounds, in 2004, Carol Ann realized how much she missed living near her mother. She decided to pull up stakes in Palm Springs and move back to Medicine Hat with her beloved cat, Fluffy in tow. There she purchased a lovely home and promptly moved her mother in with her, both thoroughly enjoying each other’s company until Esther’s passing in 2007.
Carol Ann enthusiastically dove into volunteering for the historic Monarch Theater as a member of “Friends of the Monarch”; member of Medalta Potteries in the Historic Clay District; served as a board member for the Historical Society of Medicine Hat; co-authored the war-brides book “From Bombs to Meadowlarks” alongside her long-time friend, Angela Stubbs and others; Carol Ann supported local arts and history in every way possible.
Dancing was another passion of hers wherever she was she would find a local setting where she could fulfill her love of dance. She energetically participated in her local Line Dancing group right up until she boarded the plane in mid-January to spend the winter in Palm Springs.
Carol Ann loved to cook and entertain which she discovered was the ideal way to connect people for mutual good. Her parties were always a hit, especially those she hosted during the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede, where you were sure to find friends playing musical instruments, lots of singing and of course, dancing!
In 2015, to celebrate her 75th birthday, she took a memorable trip to France. In December 2017, she proudly received a Women of Rodeo award in Las Vegas, Nevada from the National Finals Rodeo. Sadly, by then, many of her rodeo friends had passed away or were no longer able to travel, celebrating this recognition without them was bittersweet for Carol Ann.
She fulfilled one last Bucket List adventure in October 2018, with her sister Padey by her side. Together they made their way to Newfoundland, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Ottawa and Toronto visiting dear friends and family along the way which was her favourite thing to do!
Carol Ann was a dedicated student of Christian Science and was especially active in the Palm Springs church. She was refreshingly honest, trustworthy, dependable, generous and loving, with a laugh that had the ability to linger long after she left a room. She was the embodiment of friendship and family!
Carol Ann had an amazing gift for gathering many lasting friendships and often said “to have a friend, you have to be a friend.” That she was! Since her passing, we’ve heard from numerous friends and family members from all over the world expressing how much they’ll miss her, confirming what we admired most about her. She never lost a friend she made!
Carol Ann is survived by her sisters, Darlene (Phil Atkinson) Ross of Victoria, B.C.; Padey (nee MacKenzie) Lapointe (Gilles) of Bonnyville, AB; Cathy (John) Sutter of Medicine Hat and Nattacia (Jurgen) Mantei of Calgary, and brothers, Graham (Pat Schuster) Ross of Edmonton, Paul (Sandra Finley) Ross of Edmonton, George (Lynn Howard) MacKenzie of Calgary; Bruce (Lisa) MacKenzie of Whiterock, B.C. and Carl (Helena) Torgerson of Medicine Hat. Along with countless dear friends, she also leaves to mourn her passing; Auntie Florence Anderson of Medicine Hat; many cousins, nieces and nephews, all of whom she loved so deeply.
A Celebration of Carol Ann’s life will be held at Cook Southland Funeral Chapel, 901 – 13 Street S.W., Medicine Hat on Saturday, June 1, 2019, at 2:00 p.m. with Life Celebrant Gerry Getz officiating. If friends so desire, memorial donations in Carol Ann’s name may be made directly to the SPCA, 55 Southwest Drive S.W., Medicine Hat, Alberta, T1A 8E8. (Condolences may be expressed by visiting our website at www.cooksouthland.com) Honoured to serve the family is

• Date : 2019-03-05
• Location : Los Angeles, California

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